


Keep Your Enemies Closer

by Toonbly



Category: TAZ Amnesty - Fandom, The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Backstory, Character Development, Enemies to Friends, Fanmade Backstory, Fleshing out minor characters, Fluff, Friendship, Redemption, Some Fluff, Some angst, and im too impatient to wait for a canon backstory, basically im just writing a development fic for jake because i love him, character exploration, cryptids exist science is broken here anyway, if griffin fucks this fic with canon then hey............thats how it be sometimes, potentially inaccurate science and medical practices, speculative fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2019-03-19
Packaged: 2019-09-17 10:33:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 30,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16972935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toonbly/pseuds/Toonbly
Summary: "Keep your friends close, and keep your enemies closer"Keith comes to stay at Amnesty Lodge after discovering Aubrey has magical abilities. Only problem is, nobody here trusts him. Also his leg is broken. Oh, and, Jake Coolice lives here, he's not happy that Keith is here, and they've got some issues to sort out. Yikes.Canon divergence from Episode 18 of TAZ: Amnesty, pretty much a development fic for Jake Coolice because I love him





	1. Prologue

"Mama!" A familiar voice called out to her.

Mama turned to face the entrance of the lodge, where Aubrey stood. She was fidgeting with her sleeves and starring at the outside of the lodge. She bit her lip and looked to Mama again, "You may wanna come out here. We've got...A bit of a problem." She said, her voice quieter than usual. 

She approached Aubrey, "What's goin' on?" Mama asked.

Aubrey scanned the room before answering, "Is Agent Stern around?"

Mama raised an eyebrow, "Nnnno? He left for the night. Got called to some job or whatever."

"Okay! Good- Uh- Perfect! So. There's a bit of an issue," Aubrey smiled "But we have it totally under control! I uh...I think."

Mama starred at her, not saying a word. Aubrey avoided her gaze. "Well? What is it?" Mama asked. 

Aubrey glanced at her, and then back outside. Still not speaking.

Mama sighed, stepping around Aubrey she walked to the outside of the lodge. Standing right there waiting for her was Duck, Ned, and...Some kid in a black and yellow jacket? Well, the kid wasn't standing. In fact he was out cold on the ground.

She starred at the kid for a second. From the jacket she knew he was one of those Hornets kids. They were nothing but trouble. Mama noticed his leg bent and twisted out of shape. She winced whenever she saw the blood staining his pants leg. Tracks were in the snow right behind him, Ned, and Duck leading to an old truck. Even as he slept he shivered in the cold.

The kid looked almost familiar, Mama couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Scraggly ginger hair, the freckles, the Hornets jacket...  
Then it hit her.

"What the FUCK did y'all do to Keith!?" She shouted.

"Well WE didn't do it to 'im! He just, got caught up in a bit of a scuffle!" Ned said.

"A scuffle?"

Aubrey stepped up beside Mama, "He was following us around!"

"So ya broke his damn leg?"

Aubrey shook her head "No, no! We didn't do that! These, uh...Goat, people did. We're not really sure what they are!" She pulled at her sleeves again, "And well- We couldn't let him get hurt! So I- I did my magic thing and healed him! But see the thing is, he saw me do that? So now he probably knows I can do magic? But he passed out again immediately after so maybe he doesn't remember? I don't know but- We couldn't bring him to a hospital because he might tell the doctors what he saw!" 

When Aubrey was done with her rambling, Mama starred at her slack-jawed.

"Oh and he saw the Mothman." Ned added, Duck jabbing him in the side with his elbow immediately afterwards.

"He SAW Indrid's- Okay holy shit-" Mama took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Alright, alright let me think.." She muttered. 

Like Aubrey said, Keith couldn't be brought to a hospital. If he remembered everything he'd let the whole world know what he saw. They can't let him run loose without any supervision, the risk is too high. The Hornets were a bunch of troublemakers, they'd spread rumors like wildfire.

But, bringing him inside the lodge..

"Alright- Just. Bring 'im into the lodge through the back, and sneak him down into y'alls infirmary. We'll try to work out this whole mess once we know what's up with 'im. Don't let no one see ya." Mama said.

The trio did what she said without questioning.

Keith was carried down into the infirmary by Ned and Duck. Mama followed them close behind, her eyes darting between every hall in the lodge. They placed him on one of the beds, sat up with one arm slung over the side. Mama stepped forward to examine his wounds. It looked like Aubrey had at least stopped the bleeding, but the kid's leg was still broken. Great. 

"Aubrey, you said you can do healin' now, right?" Mama asked.

Aubrey nodded, "Yeah, but I'm still new to it. If you want me to try and heal Keith's broken leg it might take awhile."  
"You think you could do it in small bursts?"

"I mean, maybe? Are you sure that's a good idea, Mama? That's just showing him all this crazy magic stuff exists over and over. And, like, he's kind of a huge jerk? So I don't think he'll keep his mouth shut about it." Aubrey replied.

"Frankly, Aubrey, we're a bit fucked here. I don't want this kid to be hurt, but we can't bring him to a hospital. We can't have him runnin' around willy nilly. He'd tear down everythin' we've worked to protect. I don't want this guy in my lodge, but the safety of the folks who live here matters more." Mama let out a heavy sigh, "For now we just make sure he's alright and we'll work out what do with with 'im later."

"Now hold on," Duck cut in, "What about this guys little Hornet friends? I mean won't they get suspicious that one of their buddies is up and gone?" 

"We could have Jake tell 'em they're hanging out or something." Ned suggested, "They're all snowboard-y kids I'm sure they've talked before."

"Okay yeah, good suggestion. But: Keith and Jake have a bit of beef." Aubrey pointed to Duck, "Duck can't you just tell a few of them that he got in trouble for some shit? The Hornets get up to a lot of trouble so..It's not THAT hard to lie about."

Duck snorted, "I mean, I can certainly try."

"Wait, Jake and Keith have beef?" Ned asked.

"I'll tell you about it later. Keith is the worst." Aubrey said.

"Okay listen you don't need to be goin' and dishing out Jake's goss." Duck said.

"I mean it's not Jake's goss, I'm dishing goss on Keith because Keith is the fucking worst."

"I guess but it involves Jake dudn't it-"

"Y'ALL." Mama interrupted, causing the trio to turn their gazes to her.

She couldn't help but laugh, "Listen, Duck you can try to tell the Hornets all that bull if they ask. I doubt he'll be 'round here that long, though." Mama gestured towards Keith, "Someone will need ta stay down here and keep an eye on him. We can do it in shifts. I'll watch after him for now. Aubrey, you can try to do a bit more of your magic healing stuff. But then y'all need to get back out there and find the Abomination. Got that?"  
The trio nodded in agreement.

"Oh and, don't let any of the lodge residents...know he's here. Not yet, anyway. I don't want no one panicking over some unwelcomed human being here." Mama said.  
"We gotcha, Mama. We'll keep it one-hundred percent secret!" Aubrey replied.  
"Good." Mama mumbled.

Ned and Duck soon left Aubrey and Mama to their Keith-Watching-Duty. Aubrey knelt beside his bedside. She mumbled incantations to herself as she attempted to heal Keith's leg. Even if it didn't do much, she had to try.

A soft creaking noise suddenly came from beside her.

Mama looked to her side where Keith lied in the infirmary's bed.

Keith's eyes fluttered open, his gaze focusing on Aubrey.

"What the fuck is going on." Keith whispered.


	2. Jake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake Coolice has been a long time resident of Amnesty Lodge. Now, things aren't exactly normal around here. They're all just monsters in disguise, after all. But his friends are acting...Strange, and it's putting him on edge.

"Well, listen, it's not like we can-"

"Hey hey keep your voice down! Mama wants everything on the down-low, remember?"

Two voices nearby spoke. He stirred awake, no longer able to clearly hear what they were saying. He groaned, rubbing his eyes before scanning the room. The moonlight illuminated the room in a soft blue glow. Jake examined his surroundings. Snowboard? Still there, sat up next to his gear. 90s jackets? Skewed all throughout the room, it's a total mess, but a rad mess. Tony Hawk Pro Skater collection? Hell yeah, good to see ya Tony. They're just sitting on a chair nearby the door. Chillin'. Nothing seemed like it had been disturbed, and nobody was inside of his room. His eyes fell upon his bedroom door.

Two shadows were underneath the crack in the door. If he listened closely, Jake could still hear two people talking. But, he couldn't make out what they were saying. He pushed his blankets off of himself and placed his feet on the floor. The bed creaked as he stood up and he froze. He stood in silence for a few moments, starring at the shadows underneath the door. They didn't move. They didn't stop talking. Jake sighed in relief. They either hadn't noticed or didn't care. Careful to step over the absolute mess all over his bedroom floor, he approached the door. Step by step, the closer he got the clearer the voices became. He stood inches away from the door now. Jake pressed his ear against the door.

"I dunno, man. I just don't think it's gonna work. I'll be the first ta admit I'm not exactly the best liar out there." The voice was that of Duck Newton. He'd recognize that thick West Virginian accent anywhere.

The other voice he recognized as Ned's, "I mean it's not exactly lying, is it? It's pretty damn close to the truth!" Jake heard him slap Duck's back, "I wouldn't worry too much about it, buddy! I'm sure he won't be here long."

"I suppose so, but..I dunno, what with The Hornets-"

The Hornets.

Jake pulled back from the door, bumping into the chair behind him. The collection of CDs spilled off of the chair, hitting the floor with a loud THUNK. Outside, Ned and Duck stopped talking. 

Fuck.

There was a knock on the door.

"Hello? You alright in there?" Ned asked.

Jake hesitated. Did they know he was eavesdropping? I mean, why else would he be standing so close to the door, knocking over his rad ass Tony Hawk collection. That's not something a dude does at two in the morning. He took a deep breath before opening the door. Ned and Duck were standing there starring at him.

Duck's eyes widened, "Jake!" He said, "Uh- What're you doin' up so late?" A smile spread across Duck's face, his gaze turning away from Jake. He looked over to Ned, who stepped in front of him.

"Jake, buddy! Sorry if we woke you up." Ned said, smiling ear to ear.

"Um..Yeah, dudes, it's cool! But, uh..What the heck were you two talking about? Why aren't you asleep?" Jake asked.

Once again, Duck shot Ned a nervous look.

Ned shrugged, "Nothing too important! Some stuff with the whole Abomination issue. What with the snow and prophecies from the Mothman or whatever, this one's a bit of a hassle!" He let out a soft chuckle, "We were out so long tryna figure this shit out, we didn't realize how late it was!"

Jake shifted his gaze from Ned over to Duck. Duck caught his eye and quickly looked away, fidgeting with his fingers. He always got this way whenever he was hiding something. He'd avoid eye contact, stumble over his words, fidget, etc. 

"Alright...Cool. You guys almost bust that thing yet?" Jake asked, still eyeing Duck.

"Erm...Sort of! Like I said it's a little trickier than usual! But don't you worry your pretty little head, Jake! We'll get it all sorted out!" Ned said, "Now, why don't you head back to bed." Ned put his hand on the door.

"Wait, hold on-" Jake said. He tried to step forward but Ned was already closing the door.

"We'll keep you updated, go on kiddo!" Ned interrupted.

"But I heard-"

"Goodnight, Jake!" Ned pushed the door closed.

Jake stood in silence and starred at the door. He could hear Duck and Ned sprint down the hallway. No use in going after them, he supposed. His eyes fell to the floor, scanning over the CDs and their cases on the floor. Oh how the mighty have fallen. One by one he picked up each CD and placed them back into the chair with their cases. He'll sort them out tomorrow. Maybe. Probably.

..Not likely.

What he'd overheard still bothered him. What were Ned and Duck talking about? What do The Hornets have to do with the Pineguard's business? He lied down in bed, thoughts like these swarming his brain as he tried to rest. Okay, okay. 'It can't be that big of a deal, right?' He thought. 'The Hornets are troublemakers, they're likely giving the Pineguard a hard time...Yeah. That's it. It's chill. Everything's cool.' Jake sighed and rolled over in bed. He tried not to think too hard about it before he drifted off to sleep.

***  
That morning, Jake was getting ready to head out of the lodge. Snowboard in hand, goggles strapped on, snow boots ready. He was going to go hit the slopes for the day. His fellow residents gathered throughout the lobby, sharing their usual morning pleasantries. Things had become more peaceful when Stern had left last night. He was scheduled to return today, the mission he'd been called on wasn't a huge one after all. But, that was later tonight, so folks were enjoying the relaxation while they could.

Stern wasn't the only one who was gone, though. Nobody in the Lodge had seen Mama all morning. Jake overheard Ned telling someone she was busy down in the infirmary. Helping Aubrey figure out her magic, or something like that. Why exactly Aubrey would want to practice her magic down in the infirmary was lost on Jake. But, hey, whatever Aubrey saw fit for her practice, he supposed. 

Before he walked out the door, Jake saw a familiar face walking through the hallway. Aubrey saw him, and immediately ran up to him.

"Heeeyyyyy, Jake!" Aubrey said, her voice cracking.

"Yo, Aubs! What's up?" Jake replied.

"Nnnotttt much. What's up with you?" She smiled before turning to look behind her for a short second. She turned to look back at Jake. She seemed...Tense? Her smile was forced, she kept glancing behind herself as she waited for Jake to answer. 

"Not much? I was about to go out and hit the slopes but- Aubrey are you alright?" Jake asked.

"Oh! Yeah, yeah, totally alright! Everything is one-hundred-percent- um- tubular my dude!" She grabbed his shoulder and started walking towards the door, dragging him behind. "Why don't you go ahead to the slopes! I could come with if you want?"

Jake pulled away, "Whoa chill out, man! You're acting really, really weird. What's up with you?"

"I'm not acting weird! You're acting weird. Let's just go to the slopes-" 

"Aubrey what-" He stopped.

He'd glanced over Aubrey's shoulder. He saw Mama walking close beside someone, helping him balance himself. The man was on crutches, one leg bandaged up. He walked with a slow pace, keeping his eyes to the ground. That is until Mama stopped in her tracks, causing him to stop too.

He had scraggly ginger hair, a spray of freckles over his face, and a black and yellow jacket.

He and Jake's eyes locked onto each others.

Jake's voice quivered as he spoke.  
"Keith?"


	3. Keith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith awakens in the Amnesty Lodge and has a little chit chat with Aubrey and Mama.

"What the fuck is going on." Keith whispered.

The memories of what had happened hours before were still unclear. He remembered a few things. He remembered running through the woods in panic. He remembered some- creature attacking him out of nowhere. He couldn't quite remember what it was, but it wasn't human. He remembered people shouting as he fell unconscious. He remembered waking up, Aubrey hovering by his side and..

He looked at his now broken leg. Aubrey's hands hovered over his wounds, a faint orange glow surrounding them. His eyes widened and he sat up.

"I fuckin' knew it!" He said, his voice quiet and coarse. "I knew y'all were up to something! You and your weird little friends have-"

"Keith." A voice beside him interrupted.

He turned his head to face the person who'd spoken. Mama was standing right next to him. He reeled back, completely silent.

"I'm not sure if I can do much else." Aubrey sighed, the orange glow disappearing from around her hands. "I stopped the bleeding earlier but it's just not- working. It's not letting me do more."

"What's not letting you? Do more what?" Keith asked as he shuffled himself away from Aubrey.

"Keith, chill! I'm just trying to heal you." Aubrey replied.

"What'd you do to me?!"

"I didn't do this! You were attacked in the woods by a fuckin' Goatman!"

"Aubrey-" Mama said.

"That was real!?"

"Yes it was! My friends and I had to save you!"

"Why didn't you bring me to a hospital?"

"Because you-"

"This is kidnapping!"

"Keith-"

Keith quickly jumped up, falling over and screaming in pain the second his feet hit the floor. His broken leg ached in pain. When he tried to get back up, Mama grabbed him and sat him back onto the bed.

He looked between she and Aubrey, "HELP-"

A flame suddenly erupted in Aubrey's hand, both Keith and Mama reeled back in shock and starred at her. She stood up, staying close by Keith's bedside. She approached the head of his bed, holding the flame in her hand close to him. "Keith." She said, "I need you to listen to me."  
Keith didn't take his eyes off of the flame in her hand as he slowly nodded.  
"Strange things are going on here in Kepler, and I am here to help that. What happened to you tonight is one of the things my friends and I are trying to prevent. We are not here to hurt you, but the things we fight against sure as hell are. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have woken up tonight. Do you understand?" Aubrey said.  
Once again, Keith nodded.

She continued, "Now, you're going to say here for a little bit. I can use my magic to heal your leg, and it'll be like nothing ever happened. You'll be out in a few days. And when you are, if you so much as hint at the things you've seen tonight I will burn you from the inside out. Got that?" She brought the flame ever so closer to his face.

Keith's gaze fell on Mama, who looked as shocked as he was. The flame drawing closer to his face caught his eye once more. He let out a shaken, terrified breath, "L-Listen I..I don't want any trouble. I- I won't tell nobody what happened, b- but you gotta- gotta hold up your end of the deal. I better be healed and out of here soon." His voice quivered.  
"I'll do my best." Aubrey replied, snuffing the fire in her hand.

She was visibly shaking as she slumped over.

Keith and Mama were both silent.

"Now lie down and- and let me see your leg. You probably just- fucked it up again by jumping down like that." Aubrey said, the orange glow appearing around her hands once more. Keith did as she said without saying a word.

***

Keith awoke to the sound of the door to the infirmary opening. Three people stood in the doorway. Mama, Aubrey, and a large hairy man carrying a tray full of food. The rich aroma of freshly made pancakes and bacon filled the room. He stirred awake and sat up.

"Um..Morning, Keith!" Aubrey said with a smile.

"..Hi? Who..Is this?" Keith asked, gesturing to the man who had entered with them.

"My name is Barclay," The man said. "Mama and Aubrey here explained your little situation to me, and well I- I made you some breakfast." He sat the tray down on Keith's bedside table. "You've gotten yourself into a bit of a mess, y'know."

"Uh- Y-Yeah- Thank you." Keith mumbled as he grabbed the plate of food.

He looked over to Mama, who squinted her eyes at him without saying a word. His eyes dropped back down to his plate of food as he picked up his fork.

"Sssoooo...Keith!" Aubrey spoke up, "I was thinking! Maybe I can try to heal your leg a bit more today? And if you're feeling well enough we can get a cast on there and you can tour around the Lodge a bit!"

Keith took a bite of his pancakes before speaking, "We're in a Lodge?" He asked.

"I mean, yeah? Where did you think you were?" Aubrey replied.

"I dunno I kinda just figured y'all dragged me down to one of your basements or somethin'. This doesn't exactly look like a lodge." Keith took another bite of his pancakes. He probably wouldn't be eating them if he weren't borderline starving to death. After all, it is food given to him by people who'd threatened his life the previous night. But he'll take what he can get.

"It doesn't really look like a basement either though, does it? This is the infirmary of the Lodge." Aubrey said, chuckling lightly.  
"Since when do Lodges have infirmaries?" Keith asked.

"Since now, I guess!"

"Fair enough." Keith muttered, "Go ahead and try your- weird Harry Potter bullshit I guess. I suppose it's good to get a lay of the land, plan escape routes y'know."  
Mama glared at him.

"I'm kidding." He said, "When you think about it, this is way better than going to a hospital. Is it terrifying? Yes. Do I like or trust any of y'all? No. But it's free healthcare." Keith laughed. He sat the plate of food down on the table next to him, "Do your thing." He said.

Aubrey rolled her eyes and knelt down beside Keith's bed. An orange glow surrounded her hands as she mumbled something to herself. He flinched as a sharp pain shot it's way through his leg. A loud cracking sound soon followed the pain. He inhaled through his teeth and gripped the sheets, squeezing his eyes shut. But..The pain had been gone in a hurry. In fact it's like it wasn't even there in the first place. He hesitated before opening his eyes again. The orange glow disappeared from around Aubrey's hands.

It was hard to describe what exactly she had done. His leg was no longer bent out of shape. It was still broken, there was no doubt about that. It was just..Not all bent up anymore. Keith sighed and released his grip on the sheets, "Goddamn." He whispered.

"I think that's all I can do for today." Aubrey said. She seemed proud of herself, a large smile spread across her face as she looked to Mama. It was almost like she was seeking her approval.

"That's good, we can get a cast on it now." Mama said, "Barclay can you fetch that for us?"

Barclay nodded before he walked over to the supply closet.

"Um..Hey Aubrey?" Mama said.

"Yeah?" Aubrey replied.

Mama gestured for her to stand up and follow her. She led her over to the door and whispered something to her. Keith couldn't quite make out what she was saying. Aubrey straightened up, "Oh shit- Right. I'm on it!" She said before rushing out the door. Mama walked over to the supply closet with Barclay to help him search.

"What's she up to?" Keith asked.

"Don't worry about it." Mama said.

There was a silence. Mama and Barclay walked back over with a cast for Keith's leg. As they tried to put it on, Keith kept questioning them. "So...Where exactly are we? We're still in Kepler, right?"

"Just outside of it. This is the Amnesty Lodge." Barclay replied. Mama didn't seem to be paying attention to Keith.

"I've never heard of this place before." Keith replied.

"Yeah, it's kind of secluded. But folks here like it that way. Peace and quiet."

"I don't think having people who fight Goatmen living here would be qualified as 'peaceful.'"

"Yeah, well, those of us here doin' that are the reason it's so peaceful 'round here. So don't be smart with me." Mama spoke up. She and Barclay stepped back, "Alright. Your cast should be fine now. Try standin' up and we'll grab you a pair of crutches."

Keith did as he was told while Barclay went to find him some crutches he could use. He paused for a moment before placing his feet on the ground. A small, abrupt pain shot through his leg again whenever he put his foot to the floor. He sharply inhaled.

"Now don't put too much weight on it." Mama said, helping Keith stand to his feet. She allowed him to lean on him, "See, doesn't hurt when you do it like this." Keith nodded in response. Moments later, Barclay returned with an old pair of crutches. He handed them to Keith, who immediately wrapped his arms around the handles.

"You can still lean on me til ya get used to it, if ya need to." Mama said, "We're just gonna show you around the lodge. If there's an empty room you can take it but I ain't promising you anythin'."

"Gotcha." Keith said, continuing to lean on Mama for support.

She lead him upstairs, Barclay going elsewhere in the Lodge to check in on other residents. As they walked Keith kept his eyes to the ground, not paying much attention to what Mama was telling him. The only thing he caught was that she owned this place. So he'd "Better watch it because I can and will throw your ass out in the snow." How polite.

"This here is the Lobby, and-" Mama suddenly froze. She no longer spoke, and she stopped walking.

"What's the matter?" Keith said. He looked up to see Mama's shocked, almost horrified expression. She starred in front of them, and Keith followed her gaze. 

Standing at the Lodge's entrance was Aubrey, as well as someone else. He was a short young man, with black hair and frosted tips that covered his eyes. He wore bright snowboarding gear as well. He was frozen in place, starring directly at Keith. Their eyes locked onto one another's.

"Jake?" Keith whispered.


	4. Safe Haven

"What is he doing here." Jake starred ahead of him, not taking his eyes off of Keith. His fists were balled up at his sides, and he was shaking. Badly. "Aubrey." He said. Aubrey turned to look at him. "Why is he here."

"Jake we can explain-" Aubrey said.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Keith cut in. He shook Mama off of him, now leaning on his crutches for support. He shot her a nasty glare, "You didn't tell me Jake fuckin' Coolice was stayin' here!" He spat. 

Jake huffed, finally tearing his gaze away from Keith as he stormed past Aubrey.

"Jake!" Aubrey shouted.

He ignore her, picking up the pace as he got closer to Mama and Keith. He kept his eyes off the two of them, not acknowledging Mama whenever she tried to reach out to him. She pulled her hand away when he kept walking. Keith, however, wasn't having it.

"Now hold on!" He shouted after him. Keith reached forward, leaning on only one crutch as he grabbed hold of Jake's arm. Tight. "Where do you think you're going?" 

Jake's breath hitched. He looked up to Keith in silence. Keith could feel him trembling under his grip.

"You can't just storm off! Is this what you always do? Run off when things go South?" Keith said, his voice raising slightly.

"KEITH." Mama hollered. Everyone in the lobby froze. A few bystanders had already begun starring, but now all eyes were on Mama, Keith, and Jake. She pulled him away from Jake. "Now I don't know who the hell you think you are, bud. But you ain't gonna go 'round treatin' my residents like a buncha animals. I don't care what kinda beef you got with him, you leave Jake alone or we're gonna have some problems. Do I make myself clear?" Her voice was gruff and quiet. Her eyes locked onto Keith's, her grip on his arm was tight.

Over Keith's shoulder, Mama saw Jake slowly backing away from the two of them. She opened her mouth to say something, but before she could Jake had taken off running down the hallway. Everyone heard a door slam in the distance. Mama shot an angry glare at Keith. It was obvious that he was trying to hide it, but he looked terrified. He gulped, now avoiding her gaze.

"Aubrey." Mama said. Aubrey turned to face her. "Go check on Jake. Keith and I are gonna have a chat."

Aubrey nodded before dashing down the hallway.

Keith watched her run off. When he saw she was gone, he tried to pull away from Mama's grasp once more. She tightened her grasp on his arm and turned to face him again, "No no, you're not going anywhere. You and I need to have a talk." She said.

***  
A few people were standing around Jake's room whenever Aubrey arrived. Dani knocked on the door, "Jake?" She said. No response. When she saw Aubrey, she looked towards her. "Aubrey!" Dani said, running up to her. "Jake just- locked himself in his room? He's- He's not answerin' anyone who tries to talk to him. Do you know what's up with the guy?" She asked, her gaze shifting from the door to Aubrey.

"I'll explain it later, it's..A long story." Aubrey sighed. She walked up to the door and turned to the small crowd. "Alright, everyone. Can I have a second alone with Jake? I don't think the huge crowd is gonna help him much." She said, her voice quiet so Jake wouldn't hear her. 

"What's going on?" One of the others asked.

"Mama and I will explain later, okay? Just give us a moment." Aubrey replied.

The crowd exchanged small glances before dispersing.

Aubrey turned to the door, gently knocking on it. "Jake? You in there?" She said.

No response.

She knocked again, "Jake? Hello?"

Still, no response.

Aubrey frowned, "Jake..C'mon buddy I know you can hear me. If you were listening to music or something I'd be able to hear it. You blast it so loud you're gonna go deaf one day."

Jake still didn't respond.

"Listen I- I know you're upset about Keith. I don't blame you, Keith is the fucking worst. But I promise there's a perfectly reasonable explanation about why he's here. Mama and I are handing everything, I promise." She continued.

There was a pause before the door crept open.

Jake was standing there, his eyes kept to the ground. His breaths were short and quiet. He didn't look up to look Aubrey in the face, in fact he was avoiding eye contact with her entirely. He stepped to the side to allow her inside his room. Aubrey stepped inside and closed the door behind her. 

"Are you okay?" Aubrey asked after a short moment of silence.

He looked up, as if Aubrey had just snapped him out of some sort of trance. She could see wet streaks tracking down Jake's cheeks. "Oh uh- Y-Yeah. Yeah I'm fine." He muttered, wiping his face with his glove. "Um..Didn't tell me Keith was stayin' here." His voice became timid.

Aubrey sat down on the bed, she patted the area next to her. Jake came over and sat down next to her, once again facing away from her. "Jake," She began, "We meant to tell you, we did. We weren't gonna invite that asshole here without letting you know."

"Then why did you? How long has he been here?" Jake replied.

Aubrey sighed, "It's...A long story. In short, last night Keith saw some of the stuff we were up to. He saw some Goatmen and ended up getting hurt. I tried to heal him with my magic, and he saw that too. I guess I- I didn't know what else to do, so I brought him here. I didn't want him blabbing about everything he saw." She turned to face him, "We were going to tell you tonight. I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner."

"How..How much did you tell him? I mean- About- ..Well, you know.." Jake asked.

"Not much. He knows I can do magic, and he knows I use it to help out around Kepler. But that's all he knows. He knows nothing about you guys or Sylvain. We made sure he won't tell anyone, too. There's nothing to worry about."

Jake sighed, relieved. He placed his head in his hands, breath hitching again.

"Hey, c'mon bud." Aubrey said with a light smile. "He won't be here very long, when his leg is healed he'll be out of here."

"I know, I know.." Jake stopped for a second, sniffling and wiping off his face once more. "It's just that- Man, I don't know. Amnesty Lodge has always been a safe haven for me, y'know? And, well, Keith is the worst. I didn't want him to find out about all of this. I don't- I don't want him to ruin this too.."

Aubrey placed her hand on his shoulder, "He won't, Jake. I promise." She said.

Jake turned to her, hugging her tightly.

"Thank you." He whispered.

***  
Keith sat down on the bed of the infirmary again. Mama paced back in forth in front of him, clearly frustrated. She hadn't spoken to him the whole walk down to the infirmary, she didn't even respond to his protests. He would've gotten up and left right now, but he didn't want to set her off again. Keith knew she didn't like him much. It was surprising to him that she'd even helped him in the first place.

"So...Did you just drag me down here to watch you pace a bunch." Keith said.

Mama didn't respond.

"I thought you said you wanted to talk?" He continued.

"Can you shut your trap for two seconds." Mama said. Shockingly, her tone wasn't angry. It was more...Worried?

"What're you so stressed about?" 

"Gee, Keith, I don't know. You show up with your leg broken, you know about Aubrey, Jake saw you before we told 'im you were here-"

"He didn't know?" Keith interrupted.

Mama ignored him and continued, "-There's a LOT of thing's to be worried about right now."

"Well, Aubrey threatened my life so it's not like I'm gonna tell anyone about her. She's healing my leg, so I'll be out of your hair soon. And, well, Jake's a baby but he'll be fine. One time I saw that kid drove a snowmobile straight into a tree and he was totally fine. Seeing one person he doesn't like won't kill him." Keith chuckled.

Mama sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "This is why I never liked him hangin' out with kids like you." She muttered.

"Hey he was fine when he was hanging around me! You're the one who-"

"I didn't do shit, Keith! You and your little Hornet buddies-" She stopped. She sighed in frustration, "Y'know what. You're not worth wasting anger on." Mama turned to him again, "I don't want you going near Jake. You got that?"

"Why is it such a big deal? Jake and I haven't spoken in years." Keith asked.

Mama paused, thinking for a moment. She sighed, glaring at him in contempt. "Keith, do you have any idea how much work we've put into making this lodge feel safe for those who live here? Do you have any idea what half of the folks here have been through?" She sighed, "You being here disrupts that. You being here makes Jake feel unsafe. The folks around here deserve a safe haven, Jake included. You're not going to ruin that."

Keith starred at her, not knowing how to respond. What the people around here have been through? It's just a lodge. They're just people. Nothing weird ever happens in Kepler. Well, there's magic-having punk girls and killer bipedal Goats. But other than that there's nothing weird ever happening in Kepler. The most anyone has "been through" around here is a bad car crash or two. What is she on about?

"Look, I'm going to go check on Jake. You can stay down here, get Barclay to give you the rest of the tour, I don't care. Whatever it is you do, leave Jake alone. He doesn't want to see you." Mama said.

She was out the door before Keith could respond.


	5. Frost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the morning of September 26th, 1992, a snowstorm began in Kelper, West Virginia. Most residents brushed it off, but two locals knew something was off. And they were going to get to the bottom of it.

_September 26th, 1992_

Snow had begun falling over Kepler that day. Strange, considering West Virginia usually gets snow in December; Late November at the earliest. Residents of the town gathered outside, starring in awe as the snow fell down upon their quiet little town. Children rejoiced and ran out to play. Adults exchanged confused glances, not knowing how to explain away the sudden storm. There wasn't any announcement that a storm was coming, nor had there been any sign of early winter weather. Especially not this early. Summer was hardly even over.

As the day went on the storm became harsher. Winds becoming strong, almost impossible to stand against. People rushed to their local grocery stores to try and stock up for the impending storm. Parents ranged their children into their homes. Panicked phone calls were made to loved ones still at work. Most folks in the town found the storm strange. Why was it snowing in September? Many had brushed it off. Coming up with somewhat reasonable explanations here and there. But, there were a handful of people who knew exactly what was going on. Sort of.

Just outside of Kepler stood a lodge.

Inside that lodge stood many people. Many, many people who'd come here to feel safe.

Among those people was a woman on the lower floor. One of her companions sat tapping his pen against his notebook. The woman paced back and forth, mumbling to herself about the storm. The man starred out the window, chewing on the edge of his pen. He woman sighed and placed her hand on the table in front of him.

"It just don't make sense." She said. She turned her head to stare out the window.

"I know! Snow in September? It's insane." He replied.

"Exactly! Thacker, do you not find it odd that it's been months since we've seen our last Abomination? And suddenly this happens?" She said.

"Oh. Oh shit you're right." Thacker said, sitting up. "Do y'think somethings come through the Gate?"

She nodded, "Without a doubt."

"Mama, Thacker!" Someone called.

They both turned their heads to see a large, hairy man with dark brown hair and tan skin approaching them. He carried with him a small tray with three mugs on it. "Crazy storm, huh?" He said, placing down the tray on their table. Hot cocoa. How nice.

"Thank you, Barclay." Mama said as she picked up one of the mugs. "Thacker and I were just talkin' about it. We're pretty sure it might have to do with the Gate."  
Barclay perked up, "You mean..Another Abomination?" He asked.

Thacker nodded, "If our suspicions are correct that could be it. Why else would it be snowing in September?"

"You're not gonna go out investigating now, are you? It's storming like hell out there."

"I don't see any better option. The longer that thing is out there, the more danger Kepler is in. We're just gonna go look for some clues by the gate. Can you stay here and hold down the fort? Mama replied.

"Of course." Barclay replied, "Be safe, alright you two?"

"We will be, don't worry big buddy." Thacker said, patting Barclay on the shoulder.

"Let's head out!"

***

The snow was nearly impossible to navigate through. They were armed to the teeth with snow gear, and even so they struggled to make it to the gate. At this point a blizzard had began. Even with their goggles on it was difficult to see through the raging storm. They trudged through the forest with caution. Soon, they arrived at a large clearing in the middle of the woods.

Trees surrounded the clearing in an almost perfect circle. In the center sat a stone structure. One stone slab sitting atop two other stone slabs, which were standing upright. Unlike everything else, it wasn't covered in snow. In fact, a small circumference around it had no snow there at all. As they got closer to the structure they could feel a warm presence.

They stood in the clear area in front of the structure. Mama looked around, "Alright. Look around and see if there's anything off. If something came through that gate today, there'll still be a sign somewhere nearby." She said.

Thacker nodded, "Right." He said.

The two of them walked in opposite directions, inspecting the nearby area. A difficult task, considering there was a literal blizzard happening.

Thacker looked closely for tracks, shreds of fur, anything that could be a clue. Anything that would show an Abomination had been there. 

Suddenly, there was a rustling in the brush.

Thacker looked up, starring towards where the noise had come from. He saw nothing in the woods. Nothing but raging snow.  
It happened again.

Thacker began backing away ever so slowly.

There was another noise. He swore he saw something in the darkness this time.

He grabbed onto his flashlight.

Another sound.

Thacker hesitated for a moment before flipping the switch.

He nearly dropped the flashlight when he saw who stood in front of him.

It was a tall, sickly looking man- Well. Thacker wasn't so sure he was human. He was almost built like one but..There's no way he could human. He had dark blue skin, and large slit-pupilled eyes. His hair was like ice, shimmering a light blue tint. His fingers were long and spindly, the tips of them turned black. The man stood there, starring at Thacker in silence.

The storm became worse.

The man took off.

"MAMA!" Thacker shouted, "MAMA THERE'S SOMETHING HERE C'MON!" 

Mama turned around just in time to see Thacker taking off into the woods. "THACKER!" She called out. She ran after him as quick as she could.

She pushed forest brush out of her way as she chased Thacker down. She couldn't see him, but she could hear him shouting something. An unfamiliar scream erupted from the distance. Mama began to run faster.

Whenever she found Thacker he was standing over a large man with blue skin. He sat on the ground, starring up at Thacker in terror.

"Did you catch it? Is that the Abomination?" Mama called out, running to Thacker's side.

"Abomination!?" The man said, looking back and forth between the two of them.

Mama and Thacker exchanged glances, shocked.

"You can talk?" Thacker said. 

"Yes now- Shit- I'm not exactly supposed to be seen by humans? So like let me run off and we pretend like this didn't happen. AND you guys don't turn me in to your- human authorities. Do you guys have that over here? Okay- Uh-" The man stumbled over his words, attempting to back away from them.

"Hold on. You're either from Sylvain, or you're someone with severe frostbite. Which is it?" Mama said.

"You know about Sylvain?" The man gasped. He starred at the two of them before his eyes fell upon a patch on their jackets. It pictured a small pine tree with a sunset behind it. He sat up, "You're the Pineguard!"

The storm around them began to calm down. 

"So you are Sylvan." Thacker muttered. "So if you're not some sorta Abomination, what are you?"

The man chuckled before standing up. He towered over the two of them, standing at around seven feet tall. "Well, you folks around here know me as Jack Frost." He said with a light smile, "Funny thing is, that's not actually my name? Like at all? It's Jake Frost but I guess you guys misheard me when we first met or something. I never heard the end of it from the Council." He sighed and shook his head. He perked up, "Oh uh- not like YOU guys you guys. I mean like- Other humans? From a real real long time ago? Okay you. Probably get that." He muttered.

The two of them starred at Jake, bewildered.

"So why are you in Kepler? Did you come through the gate?" Mama asked.

Jake nodded, "Uh y-yeah I did. Um..I usually don't come around this time of year! I usually wait 'til the winter weather but stuff...Came up."

"Stuff?" Thacker said.

"..Yeah. Um- Y'know how it is. Mess up a thing or two and uh- suddenly you're banished from Sylvain." He chuckled nervously, keeping his eyes off of Mama and Thacker. "I-I'm really sorry for all the snowy mess it- it gets worse when I'm freaked out, I guess. I don't know what to do here."

"Why don't you come by the lodge?" Thacker said.

"The lodge?" Jake asked.

"Thacker" Mama whispered.

Both Jake and Thacker turned to look at her.

"Listen it's-" She sighed. "Excuse us." 

She grabbed Thackers arm and pulled him to the side. Mama lowered her voice. "I'm not sure, Thacker. I don't think we should let some stranger into the lodge. For all we know he could be an Abomination just tryna trick us."

"He seems fine? He seems to know a bit about the Pineguard and Sylvain." Thacker replied.

"I don't know.."

"Mama, listen." Thacker put a hand on Mama's shoulder. "Let's just take him back to the lodge and hope for the best. He turns out to be fine? We got a new resident! Someone we've saved! He turns out to be an Abomination? We've defeated dozens before, we can defeat one again. We're the perfect team, after all! Everything will be fine."

"Are you sure? I'm..Still new to all this, I don't wanna fuck it up." She replied.

"I'm positive." Thacker said with a smile.

Mama let out a nervous exhale. She turned back to Jake. "So, kid, you wanna know about the Amnesty Lodge, huh?"

Jake nodded, "It sounds like the only safe place around here for me, soooooo.."

She couldn't help but laugh. "It's kind of the Pineguard's headquarters. A bunch of other Sylvans stay there, too. We'll..Probably need to get you a human design once you get there." Mama explained.

Jake smiled widely, displaying an array of sharp teeth. "That sounds so cool! How many Sylvans are there?"

"Quite a few! If you follow us we can show you! You can explain your whole situation to us there, just like. Don't freeze the inside of the lodge or anything." Thacker said.  
Jake laughed, "I'll try not to." He said.

The trio began walking back to the Amnesty lodge. Jake asked endless questions about the folks around here on the way.

How many of them were there? Did anyone know what they were? Were there even any humans nearby? Other than Mama and Thacker, of course. Thacker explained every detail to him as they walked through the woods.

The lodge was home to many Sylvans. Some had been banished from their home world, others had come there willingly. A handful of folks in town knew about the Lodge. It was located right outside of Kepler. Due to it's seclusion, not a lot of actual humans came to stay there. For the most part it was the few Pineguard that remained and the Sylvans that resided there. Jake became more and more excited with each detail.

Soon, they came to find themselves atop a hill looking over the lodge. The snow had mostly cleared, now only falling in small flakes. It came almost to a complete stop whenever Jake saw the lodge.

"Well, Jake." Mama said, "Welcome to Amnesty Lodge."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I just wanted to say thank you all so so so much for all of your kind comments, kudos, etc!! This is my first time writing a long multichapter fic like this, and it makes me incredibly happy to see such a warm response to it! It means the world to me you guys, seriously. Thank you! <3


	6. Little Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the little things that Keith noticed about those who resided inside the walls of Amnesty Lodge.  
> It's the little things that he remembered. An old friend's "quirky behaviors" that should have made him realize what was happening a long, long time ago.

It was the little things Keith had begun to notice.

Firstly, the odd glances he would get from the lodge's residents. Some of them were fearful. Others curious. A large majority of them were disdainful. Not that he cared, it's not like he was sticking around here very long. What these weird, reclusive people thought of him didn't matter to him at all. 

That's the second thing he'd noticed. He'd never seen a single one of these people around Kepler before. With exception of Jake Coolice, of course. He'd never met Barclay, or Dani, or any of them. Kepler was a small town where everybody knew everybody. You don't just miss a face in the crowd. Even if you've never spoken, it's likely you know a complete strangers name, even some gossip about them. But Keith had never heard any of these people's names before, nor had he seen their faces. He would chock it up to a few of them being reclusive, but it wasn't a few of them. It was the entire lodge.

Third was the strange noises that would come from the basement of the lodge. He'd noticed them when he was staying in the infirmary, too. Mama had seemed eager to move him into his own room on the night a loud, growling noise had erupted from a close by room. Duck said it was a goat- no, a cat- Wait. A dog they were fostering. Yeah. Bullshit. Now that he was staying in his own room, the noises had become less common. Every now and again, though, he'd still hear them. Nobody would explain what they were. Even some residents seemed surprised whenever they could hear them.

Finally, he'd noticed a strange man wandering around the lodge. Well, everyone around here was strange. But this guy was..different. He was tall, somewhere in his mid forties. He wore a plain black and white suit and a pair of glasses. He'd arrived on the afternoon of Jake and Keith's little...encounter. The second he had, the lodge had become quieter. Eerily quiet. Residents would avoid this man's presence like the plague. Barclay, someone who was know to be a warm and charismatic man, would become nervous and fidgety whenever he was nearby. Mama would give him unsettling glares when he wasn't looking. Aubrey, Duck, and Ned avoided him as well, especially Ned. Keith had heard around the lodge that this man's name was Agent Stern. That's all he knew, and that's all he cared to know. 

Keith didn't want to involve himself any further in any of the strange happenings around here. All he wanted was to get his goddamn leg healed, and get out. Never speak to any of these people again, brush it all off as a dream. He didn't want anything to do with this- This magic Goatmen bullshit. As the week went on he put little pieces together. All the weird accidents around Kepler since the snow had started. The destruction of H2Whoa-That-Was-Fun. He'd heard about some strange...Bear creature running around in the woods. But it was "Too big to be a bear." These people all had to have something to do with it. It was so strange. There's no way it was all a coincidence.

But he didn't care. He couldn't care. The only thing he cared about was forgetting any of this had even happened. He was never attacked, Aubrey didn't know magic, he and Jake hadn't run into each other again. None of this will have happened once he got out of here.

The sudden noise of people rushing past his room outside ripped him away from his thoughts. Keith opened the door, watching as a handful of people rushed to the entrance of the lodge. Aubrey, Duck, Ned, Mama, and...Jake. Keith starred after them. A few residents followed them close behind, including Agent Stern. Curious, Keith followed suit. He arrived outside the lodge, only to see the small crowd of folks peering over the cliff side. Just over the ledge one would be able to see the entirety of Kepler.

Keith walked closer. Gazing over the edge, he saw snow falling down heavily onto Kepler once more. This seemed normal, the snow had been heavy for the past few days. He thought that everyone had come outside to see the snowfall. It was a strange view, seeing a bunch of snow fall over only a specific area you weren't too far from. He turned to see the other residents. Instead of looking mystified or intrigued by the distant snowfall, everyone looked horrified. Everyone except Agent Stern.

Mama grabbed Aubrey and her friends, dragging them to the side of the crowd to talk to them. Keith edged closer to their little group, doing so slowly as to not be noticed. He couldn't make out what they were saying. That is, until Jake joined in on the conversation. Keith couldn't help but listen closer. They all spoke in hushed whispers.

"-Not snow. There's no way that's snow." Jake said.

"-Abomination. If this follows the pattern, then..." Mama's voice trailed off.

"We're on it. Ned, you know-" 

That was about all that Keith could piece together. 

The trio departed, leaving Mama and Jake behind. 

He watched them out of the corner of his eye. Mama said something to Jake, something Keith couldn't hear. She walked back into the lodge, the others soon following her. In the crowd, Keith saw Jake stop and stare back at the view of Kepler. He glanced over his shoulder. Seconds later, he ran off. Away from the lodge.

Where was he going?

Keith was quick to follow him.

He was sure to keep his distance, he didn't want Jake to see him after all. Jake traversed through the forest behind the lodge. It didn't take long for Keith to realize they were heading towards the main town area of Kepler. The trip took some time, given how far outside of Kepler the lodge was located. Not to mention they were travelling on foot.

The snow became heavier as they approached the town. Soon Keith could see the various shops and streets strewn throughout Kepler. Keith surveyed the area. Everything seemed normal, nobody in the area appeared panicked. Nobody except Jake, that is. He turned his head back to where he'd last seen Jake.  
He wasn't there.

Keith rushed forward and looked around. He could see faint tracks in the snow, and was quick to follow them. In the distance, he could hear something crumbling.  
Suddenly, people began to scream.

Keith ran towards where the screaming was coming from.

He froze in his place when he arrived near the center of town.

A sinkhole was developing in the middle of town, swallowing up cars and buildings as it grew. It became larger and larger by the second, growing at an abnormally quick pace. People ran from the center of town.

Mere feet away from him stood Jake Coolice.

He backed away from the developing sinkhole, starring at Jake who didn't move an inch. Jake stood with his back turned to Keith. He starred directly at the destruction happening before him. He then knelt down in front of the sinkhole. He took off one of his gloves and placed his hand on the ground.  
The area around Jake began to freeze.

Not just like the snow surrounding him, but pure, solid ice.

Keith starred in shock. Frozen in place, unsure what to do next.

Jake was, somehow, forming ice around him. A part of Keith felt like it made..sense. He felt as though he should've expected this.

It was the little things that Keith had remembered from long ago. Jake's absolute hatred for any semblance of hot weather. How undisturbed he seemed by cold weather, even when it was below freezing. Sometimes, when Jake was afraid or upset the temperature would suddenly drop. How cold Jake's skin always was. Jesus Christ, even his last name gave it a way. What kind of last name is "Coolice"!?

Keith snapped out of it when he heard a loud cracking sound. The ice had spread across the sinkhole, stopping it from spreading nearby Jake. The ice had filled up the space it had already torn apart. It managed to spread about a yard before it began to crack again. The ice shattered almost as quick as it had spread. Jake shot up, caught off guard by the sudden shattering of the ice. The sinkhole began to grow all around again, as fast as it had before.

Bits of land began to collapse beneath Jake.

Seconds after, he fell into the pit beneath him.

"JAKE!" Keith shouted.

Without thinking, Keith lunged forward and grabbed Jake's arm.

Jake starred up at Keith.

Keith felt his skin run cold, small bits of ice slowly spreading up his arm.

The development of the sinkhole then stopped.

The snowfall stopped.

The destruction and panic around them stopped.

In that moment, everything stopped.


	7. Curiosity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake meets a few friends when he and Dani sneak out of the lodge.

December 5th, 2013

There were a handful of things that Mama had learned about Jake over the years he stayed at Amnesty Lodge.

The first being that Jake was very young for a Sylvan. Though he was hundreds of years old in Earth years, was around nineteen or twenty years old in Sylvan years. He had the same pumped up hyper energy most boys in their twenties had. Due to his young age, Jake hadn't had a full grasp on his ice magic. He knew the basics, how to create snowstorms, freeze over lakes, sleet, hail, the whole deal. But, he didn't have full control over them. It was possible for his emotions to set off his magic. For instance, a lot of residents had noticed that when Jake was scared the temperature of the room would drop. This began happening less and less as Jake grew used to the lodge.

Second, he tends to get caught up in different time periods. He would overhear conversations from nearby villages and pick up the current slang while travelling. When he first showed up back in the 90s, he still used slang from years and years before. Right now, it was still the 90s to him. In his human form he wore a lot of bright, neon clothing. This included a jacket with bright pink, blue, and yellow colors. He still used slang like "Radical" and "Broski." Mama couldn't tell if this was due to his slow aging process, or a simple misunderstanding of human culture. It was somewhat endearing. Laughable, yes, but endearing. Jake had that effect on people.

The third thing was...concerning. Jake had an insatiable curiosity for the world around him. He'd been coming here for centuries, but he'd never been able to explore an area populated by humans. When he did, it was always late at night. Nobody was around. He'd had a handful of run-ins with humans. It's where the tales of the elusive Jack Frost originated from. According to Jake he spoke to a human directly only once before he met Mama and Thacker. This was when he was much younger, most likely a child. It was for petty reasons, he'd almost blown Sylvain's cover so he could tell them his name was "Jake" not "Jack." Mama wasn't shocked when Jake told her this. Jake was a tad aloof. By no means was he ignorant, but he always had his head in the clouds. That being said, with his new human form Jake was free to interact with the people of Kepler without worry. Without him worrying, that is. Mama didn't want him going out too often. Because of his young age (and small history of accidentally exposing his true identity) she feared he could put himself into danger. 

Over the years Mama had become less trusting. Ever since Thacker disappeared things hadn't been the same. Things around Kepler got stranger and stranger. More and more dangerous. She had to protect her residents, no matter what. It was her duty as a member of the Pineguard.  
If Thacker could do it, she sure as hell could too.

She sighed, walking out of her room into the Lobby. She saw Jake, Dani, and a handful of the other Sylphs sitting together. Talking, like always. Jake was playing a video game on the large TV, his peers cheering him on. She smiled lightly. They all seemed so..happy.

"Hey, guys!" Mama called out before approaching.

"What's the hap, Mama?" Jake replied with a welcoming smile.

"I need ta head out for a bit. Barclay and I got some investigatin’ to do around the gate for a bit. Don't get into any trouble, alright?" She said.

"When do we ever? It's all chill, bro!" Jake replied.

"Be safe out there, alright?" Dani said.

Mama nodded, "I will." She turned her gaze to Jake again, "Seriously, kiddo. You be safe too."

"I will, there's no need to worry!" Jake said.

Mama wasn't so sure.

Dani watched Mama walk out the lodges door. Whenever she was out, she turned her head to Jake. "Hey, Jake?" She said.

Jake replied with a simple "Mhm?" His attention was back on his video game.

"Did you know there's a Ski Lodge here in Kepler?" Dani asked.

He paused his game and turned to her. "Ski...Lodge?"

"Yeah! It's this cozy little place where you can do some snow sports!"

"Like, what Tony Hawk does?"

"EXACTLY like what Tony Hawk does. But in snow."

"Does Tony do snow stuff?"

"I don't fuckin' know, dude! But it's really fun! You should try it. You like snow a bunch."

Jake bit his lip. "I dunno..Mama said I shouldn't leave the lodge. Might be dangerous, or somethin'." He mumbled.

Dani pat his shoulder reassuringly. "Nonsense! We'll be with you. I'm sure she's fine with it so long as we travel together. You gotta get used to Kepler somehow!"

He thought for a moment. Well, she had a point. So long as they didn't get separated it couldn't be that dangerous. It's just a Ski Lodge, after all. 

"Alright! Sounds cool, let's go!" Jake said.

"HELL YEAH!"

***

The Kepler Ski Lodge was just as cozy as Dani had said it was. People sat around a small fireplace, drinking hot cocoa and chatting amongst themselves. Jake avoided this area as if his life depended on it (And, technically speaking, it did.) Gentle music played over the speakers, mostly music in theme for the Holidays. People lined up near a small bar to get lodge-owned snow gear. Snowboards, ski equipment, etc. were all neatly stacked behind the counter. An employee handed them out to each person with a smile and a warm “Have a nice day!”

Jake stood behind the other Sylphs in line. He didn’t pay much mind to any of them, instead he examined the people in the lodge. Part of him feared Mama would find them here, so he kept an eye out. But, for the most part he was just curious about those around him. One man looked to be about middle aged. Dark hair, a faded green ranger outfit. He wasn’t at the lodge with anybody, not that Jake could tell. Instead he sat on his own, eating some type of soup. He seemed content. An older woman sat not far from him. Jake had heard whispers about her around the lodge. He didn’t know her name, though. All he knew is she ran some sort of...weird museum. Mama said she seemed nice, but she didn’t trust her much. Jake had noticed how much she was coughing, must have had a cold or something. Humans cough a lot when they catch colds, right? The ringing of the bell above the entry door caught Jake’s attention, tearing his gaze away from the residents.

A group of about seven or eight people entered the ski lodge. All of them in their early twenties, eighteen at the youngest. The group chatted amongst themselves rather loudly. They all wore matching, brightly colored jackets. A patch on the front reading “KSC.” Whatever that means. One boy walked in front of them, it sounded like he was telling some grandiose story about his “sick stunts.” This boy was ridiculously tall. Not as tall as Barclay, but he was getting there. Lanky would be the best word for it. He had messy, fiery red hair and a spray of freckles across his face. He gave his friends a wide grin as he laughed at one of their jokes. Jake froze when he turned to face him.  
Their eyes locked onto each others for a moment.

The boy stopped walking, as did his friends. He stared at Jake, not breaking eye contact with him. Jake couldn’t tell if this was out of curiosity or confusion.

The boy opened his mouth, and then-

“Jake!” A familiar voice spoke up.

Jake jumped and turned to face Dani, “S-Sorry! What’s up?”

“You gotta choose your board, dumby! Or skis, whichever you prefer.” Dani chuckled and gestured to the array of snow gear behind the counter.

“Uh- Yeah board I’ll do board.” Jake glanced back over his shoulder. The boy was no longer starring in his direction, he was back to talking amongst his friends. Their chatter was much quieter now.

They rode to the top of the slope. Jake gleefully treading around in the snow that surrounded them. A small drizzle of snow began to fall. Dani tugged on his sleeve.

“Hey, Jake. You know how to do this right?” She asked.

“Not at all!” Jake replied, perhaps a little too cheerful. “We don’t uh...Necessarily have this kinda stuff back home.”

“Aw yeah. Well, it’s not as hard as it looks! Just takes some practice. Want me to show ya?”  
Jake nodded in response.

Dani lead him to one of the nearby hills. It was a smaller slope than all the others, didn’t have as many hiccups and jumps in the path. A sign next to the drop read “Bunny Hop Slope.”

“Now, this is the beginners slope. We can go to other stuff as you get used to the whole deal.” Dani explained. “So just place your board down and let’s get started!”  
Jake placed his board on the ground, one foot on top of it. He stared down the slope, feeling his chest tighten. He couldn’t help but feel nervous.

He followed Dani’s instructions accordingly. Turn your head and shoulders in the same direction, this is the direction you’ll ride in. Keep your hips over the center of the board. Etc. Jake nodded and bit his lip as he listened to her.

“You ready to go?” Dani asked.

Jake hesitated, “Y-Yeah I think so.”

“Alright, go on one. Okay? Three...Two-”

Jake pushed off before she finished.

“JAKE!” She shouted, laughing as she pushed after him.

Jake stumbled a bit as he soared down the slope. Eventually finding his balance, he couldn’t help but laugh as a rush of energy hit him. He shifted his direction, snaking down the path until he reached the end. He came to a skidded stop and threw his arms up in the air, cheering. Dani followed him soon after.

“See, I told you it wasn’t that hard!” She said.

“HELL YEAH! We should do stunts n’ stuff. Like some Tony Hawk shit.” Jake shouted.

“Well, that might be a bit harder-”

“Nonsense! I’m gonna do it!”

Before she could say anything more, Jake charged back up the slope. Dani pursued him. Once he got to the top he looked down nearly every slope. Some had obstacles and things like it, but he was looking for something he could jump off of. He looked down the last slope. It was lined with ramps and obstacles alike.

Hell. Yes.

It started snowing a tad heavier.

Jake dropped his board to the ground and got into position.

Dani caught up with him, “Hold on now this isn’t a course for begin-”

Again, Jake took off before she could finish.

Jake could hear her scream his name as he took off down the slope. The ramp in front of him was fast approaching. He braced himself. He flew off the edge of the ramp, soaring a few feet off the ground.

Grabbing the front edge of his board, attempted to rotate it and-

Before he knew it he was face down in the snow.

The snowfall suddenly stopped.

Jake tumbled down the slope for a few moments before coming to a stop. He groaned, turning on his back and staring up at the sky. He heard something skid across the snow behind him. Then, a figure stood above him. A few of them did, actually. One of them was a boy with bright red hair, and a spray of freckles across his face.

“Are you okay?” The boy asked.

Jake just stared up at him. Shit. Did he see him crash?

“Uh...Hello? You alright, dude?” The boy repeated.

“Oh-! Uh..Y-Yeah I’m fine.” Jake said.

He lied in the snow, the two of them just staring at each other.

“So...Uh..You need help getting up?” The boy held his hand out to Jake.

“Y-Yeah! Thanks!” Jake took the boys hand and stood up. He winced as he stood. God, yeah that's gonna leave a few bruises.

“You didn’t break nothin’ did you?” One of the people who stood behind him asked. 

“Nah man don’t worry, I don’t think he did.” The red haired boy said. He helped Jake keep his balance. “Let’s getcha back to the lodge, alright? You need to sit out for a bit.” 

Jake nodded as the boy helped him walk up the slope. His friends gathered up Jake’s board for him.

“My name’s Keith, by the way! Keith Hardley. I haven’t seen you ‘round here, I don’t think. Who are you?” Keith. That’s a nice name.

“Jake F-” Jake paused. Frost. Right. That’s a dead give away. “Um...Jake…” He paused again. C’mon man think of something. “..Cool...Ice.”

Goddammit.

Keith laughed, “Your name is Jake Coolice? Am I hearin’ that right or didja hitcha your head real hard?”

“N-No it’s Jake Coolice.” So we’re doing this. We’re just sticking with Coolice? Genius. Jake. Real genius.

“I ain’t hearda no Coolice family ‘round here. Are you new in town?” Keith asked.

“You could say that.” Jake mumbled.

Just as they reached the top of the slope, Dani rushed towards them.

“Found yer friend. Thought he could fly, apparently” Keith said as she approached.

Dani ignored his comment, “Are you okay? Oh my god- Mama’s gonna kill me-”

“Relax Dani I’m alright.” Jake said.

“You should still prolly go sit down at the lodge.” Keith said. “You wiped out pretty bad back there. They got real nice hot cocoa, help you chill out for a bit.”

“Do they have just cocoa?” Jake asked.

Keith gave him a strange look. “What kinda person drinks their cocoa cold?” 

“Alright Jake let’s go.” Dani interrupted. She took his board back from Keith’s friend. “Thank y’all for your help. He probably needs to go sit down.” She said.

They walked off. Over his shoulder, Jake saw Keith gently wave at him. Jake waved back. 

***

Jake sat on the front step of the ski lodge, a cold cup of cocoa in his hand. The waitress had given he and Dani a strange look when he asked for it cold. Why can’t a man just enjoy a cold drink? Is it a crime? Is it a fucking felony to want a drink cold? Good lord. He sighed and took another sip of his cocoa. Like any well mannered man he dumped about a gazillion marshmallows on top. An upside of drinking it cold meant they didn’t melt as fast.

Dani and the other Sylphs had gone back up to the slopes. Jake told them he could handle being on his own for just a few minutes, and they should go have their fun. They seemed hesitant, but obliged.

“Hey!” Someone called out to him. Jake turned to see Keith standing at the ski lodge door, a cheeky grin on his face.

“Oh uh- Hey! What’re you doing out here?” Jake said.

“I could ask you the same question.” Keith sat next to Jake on the steps. One arm slung over his own knee. “First the cold cocoa, now you’re sitting out in the freezing cold.  
Wouldn’t you rather sit inside where it’s all toasty? With hot cocoa like it was intended to be drank?”

He couldn’t help but laugh. “No. It’s too hot.” Jake replied.

“Too hot? It’s just a little warm!”

“Maybe to you. It’s too much for me.”

“Well if that ain’t quirky.” Keith chuckled and shook his head. “Somethin’ tells me you ain’t from West Virginia, then. It gets real hot ‘round here in the Summer.”

“N-No I uh- I just got here.” Jake’s voice became low. He took another sip of his cocoa. It began to snow again. 

“Jesus Christ, what’s with the snow today? On and off for the past hour or so.” Keith grumbled.

“Sorry.” Jake said, reflexively.

Keith looked towards him.

“I-I mean- Sorry I- I just. I’m new around here. I’ve never really like..Talked. To any of you folks before.” Jake stumbled over his words. 

“Oh..Okay?” Keith said. “Where you from?”

Jake paused. Shit. He’s been here twenty years and still knows jack shit about what these places are called. 

“Up north.” Jake replied. That’s the colder place, right?

“Like...Alaska or?”

“Yeah! Yeah. Alaska.” 

Keith burst into a fit of laughter. “So your name is Jake Coolice. You love cold, and hate heat. And you’re from Alaska?” 

Holy shit he actually believed that. “Yeah. My life's just a string of snow related coincidences.” Jake laughed. “But, hey you never answered my question. Where’re your friends at?”

“My teams inside getting some food n’ cocoa n’ stuff. We’re just takin’ a break for the day.” Keith explained.  
“Team?” Jake asked.

“Oh yeah! See we’re the Kepler Stunt Club,” Keith gestured to the ‘KSC’ patch on his jacket. “We’re no official sports team or anything. We’re just a coupla kids who love some good ole stunts!”

“So...What Tony Hawk does?” Jake asked.

Keith laughed again, “I guess you could say that!” He tilted his head, curiously. “You a fan of that kinda stuff?”

“Oh uh- Y-Yeah I think it’s pretty rad! I dunno how to do any of it though. If that. Wasn’t obvious I mean.” Jake chuckled nervously, his gaze falling away from Keith. He couldn’t help but feel embarrassed over the whole incident. Especially knowing it happened in front of the local “stunt club.”

“We could teach you, if you want!” Keith said.

Jake turned to him, eyes wide with shock. “Wait- Really?”

“Yeah, I don’t see why not! You’re new in town, you like cool stunts n’ shit like that. You could use a coupla buds to show you the ropes.” Keith smiled at him with that same old cheeky grin. “So, what do you say? Wanna join the team?”

Jake thought for a moment. Would that be safe? Mama said you gotta be careful with folks around Kepler. They’re not bad, by any means, but if any of them found out about Sylvain that wouldn’t end well. But they’re just...People. Regular old folks, just like Mama and Thacker. Keith seems friendly, so do his friends. What’s the worst that could happen? They’re just people.

“Yeah.” Jake said, a smile spreading across his face. “Yeah I think I’d like that.”

“Sweet!” Keith jumped up. “Y’know we’re having a meeting this upcoming Saturday. You can come and hang out if you want.”

“Would your team be okay with that?”

“I’m their leader, they have to be!” Keith said with a laugh. “Saturday, 9pm. That sound good?”

“Why so late?” Jake asked.

Keith smirked, “Oh you’ll see.”

***

December 7th, 2013

Keith had agreed to pick Jake up nearby the ski lodge that night. Jake would’ve told him to come by Amnesty Lodge, but Mama didn’t know he was sneaking out. Hell, she didn’t even know that they’d gone to the ski lodge in the first place. He didn’t really like lying to her, but he wasn’t sure how he’d react to his new human buds. He was sure she’d be fine with it, again they’re just people. Just like her. It’s not like they know what Jake is. But he wanted to be careful for now. He’d tell her soon, maybe after tonight. The snowfall around him became heavier as he thought about it.

“HEY! JAKE!” A familiar voice called out.

Down the road, Jake could see a pair of headlights coming towards him. A large red truck drove up beside him, loud music blasting from it. Keith was hanging out the passenger window. From what Jake could tell, Keith was, in fact, driving the car. His foot was placed on the wheel as he hung out the window. Someone sat up in the back seat.

“KEITH DO YOU EVEN HAVE A LICENSE?” They shouted.

“NOPE!” Keith shouted back.

Keith turned back to Jake.

“YO DUDE YOU WANNA RIDE IN THE TRUNK?” Keith shouted over the music.

“YOU CAN DO THAT?” Jake shouted back.

“FUCK YEAH DUDE.” 

Jake laughed as he ran to the back of the truck. Three others sat back there waiting for him. All of them greeted him, one of them helped him climb into the truck. A small window on the back windshield was slid open. They took off soon after.

“You’re Jake, right?” One of the members said.

Jake nodded and smiled.

“Yeah you’re that kid who wiped out on the slope!” Another added.

“Aw c’mon Brad don’t give the kid shit.” The member sitting next to him elbowed him sharply. “Once he’s around us long enough he’s gonna learn some sick ass tricks.”

“What do y’all do here anyway?” Jake asked.

“Stunts! We’re thrill seekers!” Brad said.

“It ain’t just snow shit, either.” Keith shouted from the front. “We do all kinds of sports! Don’t worry, though. We’ll show you the ropes!”

Soon, they arrived at what looked to be an abandoned building. In the middle of the woods.

“Uh...What’re we doin’ here?” Jake said.

Keith jumped out of the driver’s seat. “It’s our hang out! We’ve been hangin’ out here since high school.” He explained.

“Is. Is this legal?” Jake turned to Keith.

“Chill out, nobody owns the place. It’s been abandoned for years. One man’s trash is another group of rowdy kids hangout.” One of the members said before walking in.

Keith and Jake stood outside as everyone else walked in. Keith turned to Jake, a soft smile on his face. “First time hangin’ in an abandoned building?” He joked.

“I mean. Yeah.” Jake replied.

Keith laughed and wrapped his arm around Jake’s shoulder. It was...strangely comforting. “No worries, bro. It’s just an old grocery store. It won’t kill ya or nothin’.”

With that, they walked inside.

Inside, everyone sat down around a large, yet flat box on the ground. They all sat on their own boxes, buckets, etc. Things left behind whenever this grocery store shut down. 

Keith walked up to the box in the middle, stepping atop it. He grabbed Jake and pulled him up there with him.

“Alright, dudes! We’ll get the important meeting shit outta the way, then we’ll get to the fun part.” He said. “So, first off, we have a new member! My bud here Jake Coolice.”

The people around them cheered. Jake smiled.

“Brad, you’re in charge of making his jacket. Can’t be a team without our sweet jackets.” Keith says. Brad gives a thumbs up in response.

Keith continued on, talking about future plans for the team. Jake paid no mind to this as he sat down with the other members. Instead, he took to observing the area around him. Shelves remained standing up, though some of them were broken. Old cans of food and whatnot were left behind on the shelves. Writings were all over the wall. Things like “Duck Was Here” and some very. Obscene drawings all over the place. Keith assumed the team must’ve done this. Though, to his knowledge nobody here was named “Duck.” Maybe it’s a nickname.

“With that being said!” Keith’s booming voice brought Jake’s attention back to him. “I’ll allow myself to do the honors.” He said, before leaving the building. He came back moments later carrying a medium sized cooler. Keith handed out these small, blue tinfoil cans to everyone. Jake, assuming it was soda, immediately cracked it open and began to chug it. He hadn’t had anything to drink all night, may as well take that chance.

The taste was...Well. Not bad. He’s certainly had better sodas, but it’s not the worst. It wasn’t as fizzy as something like Mountain Dew, though. He set down the can when he was done with it.

“Christ. That was fast.” Keith chuckled. “Don’t go through them too fast, Jake. We only managed to get our hands on a coupla these.” He said, handing Jake another can.

“Oh uh- Alright? What is this, by the way?” Jake asked, opening the can he gave him.

Keith snorted, “Jake? You ever have a beer before?”

Jake tilted his head, confused.

“..Alcohol, Jake. It gets you drunk.” Keith continued.

“OH.” Jake said. Well, he vaguely knew what that was. Mama and Thacker used to hand it out to the older Sylphs during New Years celebrations. Sometimes other holidays, but mostly New Years. “I’ve never had it before.” He continued. He took another sip.

“Really? Never? How old are you?” One of the members asked.

“Tw-” He paused. Right. You can’t just tell a buncha humans you’re over two-hundred years old. “Twenty? Yeah! I’m twenty.” That’s what Mama said he was in human years. Or at least around that age.

“Seriously? Have you ever been to any parties or anything?” Keith asked.

“Well..Not really. I’ve been to a handful of New Years stuff here, but it wasn’t anything too crazy.” Jake explained.

“None back home?”

“No.” Jake said. There had been celebrations held in Sylvain. Last time he was there, though, they’d become few and far between. Even when they happened, he didn’t attend. He had his own business to attend to at the time.

“Well, shit then Jakey boy you’re in for a hell of a night.” Another member laughed. “Ten dollars says he gets wasted after five drinks.” He says to another.

“You’re on!” They reply.

An hour passed, Jake had a few more drinks. It didn’t take much for the guy to become tipsy along with a few of the other members. Jake sat on one of the shelves of the grocery store. The few above him had been broken off. A few others sat next to him, all just drunkenly chit chatting. Jake was completely removed from the conversation. Because, do you know what’s absolutely fascinating whenever you’re drunk? Your hands get all wavy n shit. That’s rad as hell. He just sat there, fiddling with his fingers while the others talked.

“-So what about you, new guy?” The person next to him nudged him.

“Whas that?” Jake mumbled, looking up at them.

“Tell us some shit. You’re new around here arentcha?” They asked.

“Sssure am! Ain’t never been here before no siree.” Jake replied.

“Where’re you from?”

Jake smiled and leaned back. “Oh it’s this reeaalllyy really pretty place!” He said, throwing his arms into the air. “It’s just- like. It’s white. There’s lotsa white. And domes. Lotsa domes. It’s all glowy n’ shit. And these goat dudes walk around a lot, and there’s a council. It’s just this realllyy chill place. Y’know what I’m sayin’?”  
“He’s from Alaska.” Keith clarified. This was followed by a collection of “Ooohhhh”’s.

“So what brings you to Kepler?” They continued.

Jake sat up, practically slamming another empty can onto the floor. “I’ma be honest withcha, bud! Everyone back there is just- like. They’re jerks! They’re just a buncha- buncha jerks! Y’know?” He slumped back again, sliding off the shelf and lying on the floor now. He stared up at the ceiling, and continued. “So I told ‘em! I told ‘em- I said. Hey! Y’all are just a buncha- like a buncha dicks! I don’t dig this scene! I’m outtie!” He sits up again. “And then I got lost in the woods for a lil’ bit, and I’m here now! And I can’t go back. But that’s fine!”

An uncomfortable silence fell over the room.

“Then, y’know what? Fuck those guys!” Keith broke the silence. “You’re a Kepler kid now and nothin’s gonna change that!” Keith raised his beer in the air. “A toast to Jake motherfuckin’ Coolice!”

Other members laughed, clinking their drinks against Keith’s. “To Jake Coolice!” They shouted.

Everyone began talking amongst themselves again for a few short moments.

Then, they heard a car outside.

Keith stood up. “Shit. It’s the cops, y’all! Hide somewhere!” He said, in a low yet harsh whisper.

Everyone scrambled to hide behind shelves, in back rooms, etc. Jake stayed lying on the floor, not fully processing what Keith had said.

“Jake!” One of the members spat. “Get your ass-”

They were interrupted by the front doors flying open, hitting the wall with a loud crash.

“JAKE?” A familiar voice called out.

It didn’t take them long to find him, he was just lying drunk in the middle of the floor after all. Through blurred vision, Jake could see Mama running towards him. She knelt down next to him.

“Jake!?” She said.

“Hi Mama.” Jake said.

“What the hell are you doing h-” She paused, sniffing the air. “Are you drunk?”

“I mean, like...Probably.” 

Mama sighed. “Why’re you out here, Jake?”

“Um..If I may.” Keith said, stepping out from behind one of the shelves. The rest of the team slowly came out of hiding as well.

Mama jumped back, grabbing Jake and pulling him away from them too. He stumbled as he stood up, leaning on Mama for support. “Who the hell are you.” She said.

Keith threw his hands up. “Relax. I-I mean you no harm, I swear. My name is Keith, these are my buds. We’re friends of Jake’s. We weren’t gettin’ up to nothin’ bad, I promise. Just havin’ a couple of drinks and hangin’ out is all.”

Mama’s eyes shot between Jake, then back to Keith. “..Alright. You kids best be gettin’ home. It’s late. You never know what’s out there.” She grabbed onto Jake’s shoulder, helping him get his balance before she turned him to the door. “C’mon Jake let’s getcha home.” She muttered.

Mama helped Jake get into the passenger seat of her truck. He did so quietly, having to fumble with his seatbelt for a few moments before finally managing to click it. Mama got into the driver’s seat, and began to drive back to the lodge.

“..Hey Mama?” Jake mumbled, leaning his head against the window.

“Yeah, Jake?” Mama replied. She didn’t turn to look at him.

“You’re not- not mad at me..right?”

Mama sighed. “No, Jake. I’m not. You’re young, this is just the shit kids your age get up to.”

Another silence.

“I woke up and decided to check in on everyone, and you weren’t there. Dani had to tell me about your little ski lodge trip. Said you met some friends there.” She chuckled, almost sadly. “I figured if they were those stunt club kids they’d be hanging out in that old place. Even I used to hang out there when I was your age.” They came to a stoplight. Mama finally turned to face him. “Jake. Do you..Do you have any idea how terrifying that was? I thought you could’ve been hurt. Why didn’t you just tell me you were goin’ out?”  
“I dunno…” Jake muttered. “I didn’t wantcha to be like...like scared, or somethin’...Cause they’re a buncha like- they’re all human y’know.”

“I don’t care about that! I’m just..worried, I guess. You never know who you can trust ‘round these parts, especially not the humans here. If they find out about what’s going on with Sylvain we’re in huge trouble, you know that.” Mama replied. 

Jake remained quiet for a moment. The car began moving forward again as the light turned green. “I mean...I trust you. You’re human, right?” He said.

“..That’s different, Jake.” Mama said, her voice almost a whisper.

“..I trusted Thacker.” Jake continued.

Mama didn’t respond.

“You’re both human, both..Both from here, arentcha? I don’t see why that’s any different from someone like Keith..” 

Still, Mama didn’t respond.

They continued their trip back to the lodge without another word from either of them.


	8. Answers

The snowfall around them had stopped. The chaos, the panic, everything. Everything stopped. The one thing Keith can hear is Jake’s panicked, labored breathing. His hand was trembling.

“Jake.” Is the only thing Keith could manage to say. He felt Jake’s grip on his arm begin to loosen. Keith tightened his own grasp on Jake’s arm. The small, icy crystals began climbing up further. His skin runs cold. “Jake.” He says, again. Jake doesn’t respond. The ice continues crawling up Keith’s arm. 

Keith backed away from the crater, still holding on to Jake’s arm tightly. He managed to pull Jake back to stable ground. Once he was able, Jake shuffled himself away from Keith. They both stared at each other. Silent. He shivered, not breaking eye contact with Jake. Waiting for him to say something, anything at all. Some sort of- reasonable explanation. This can’t be more of this weird magic bullshit. Jake’s a normal person. That’s that. That’s what Keith has always known him as. That’s what he must be, right? Jake wouldn’t have lied to him. Not a few years ago, anyway. This isn’t just something you keep from a good friend.

But, then again..

His eyes fall upon his arm. Frozen. Patches of ice covered his arm up to the elbow. He could hardly move his fingers. Jake did this. He knows he did this. But Jake’s just a normal person. Right? He wouldn’t keep this sort of thing from him back then, right? Nowadays, maybe but..Not all those years ago.

“What’re you doing here.” He heard Jake say. Jake’s voice trembles. He sounded small. Meek.

Scared.

Keith tried to speak, but no sound escapes him. 

Then, he started to laugh.

“What- What the fuck is goin’ on here, Jake?” Keith says. 

Jake’s breath quivers as he slowly stands to his feet. “Listen- K-Keith I-” He swallowed the lump in his throat. “Let’s just go back to the lodge- a-and-” He stopped speaking. His hands are trembling. Without a second thought he turned and walked away.

“Hey- HEY!” Keith shouted, scrambling to his feet. His knees nearly gave out underneath him, he can hardly stand. He grabbed one of the crutches he’d tossed to the side when he’d jumped after Jake to catch him. Wrapping his only good arm around the handle, he followed Jake. “Don’t think you can run off from this! What the hell was that!?”

“I don’t-” Jake takes a deep breath. “I don’t need to tell you anything.”

“DON’T NEED TO TELL ME ANYTHING? YOU FROZE MY FUCKING ARM, JAKE.” Keith managed to grab onto the back of Jake’s jacket. “I saw it. All of it. How many other things did you keep from us?”

“Let me go, Keith.” It began to snow again.

“Do you- How did you do this? How did you do ANY of this? Is it magic? Is that what this is? Are you one of them?”

The snow grew heavier.

“I just- I don’t understand why you kept this from me! I- I trusted you! I thought you trusted me back then! What happened, Jake!?”

“I said let me go.”

“I just- I don’t understand why you- Why’d you hide this!? I thought we trusted each other back then. Is-” Keith paused. He chuckled, shaking his head. “Is this why you left? You abandoned us just so you could-”

Jake ripped his arm away from Keith’s grasp. He stepped backwards, Keith tried to reach for him again. Suddenly, gigantic stakes made of ice erupted from the ground in front of him. Keith stumbled back, standing mere inches from one that had come close to piercing him. They then collapsed back into the ground. Jake still stood there, hands balled into fists, his entire body shaking. The snow became heavier.

Jake marched towards Keith.

“Now you listen here-” Jake spat, jabbing a finger against Keith’s chest. “I don’t know what your problem is, but you have no right to say that. You know DAMN WELL why I left. Don’t you DARE act like you’re some sort of fucking victim when you’re the one who refused to listen to me about Hollis. You trusted them over me, and this is the result of that. None of this would’ve happened if you NEVER listened to them. So don’t act like I owe you answers, or that you DESERVE to know every little thing about me. You didn’t trust me then, so I don’t trust you now. I don’t owe you shit.” He stepped back. Still shaken. Still fuming with anger. He exhaled sharply. “Now let’s get back to the lodge before you need to get your arm sawed off or something.”

Jake turned his back to Keith, now walking in the direction of the lodge. Keith stood there. Silent. Shocked. He’d only seen Jake angry one other time, and that was when...  
He shook his head. Whatever. He’ll get over it. How long could he stay mad at him?

Forever, it seemed.

Keith sighed, following Jake back to the lodge. He kept his distance. Jake never even glanced over his shoulder. Neither of them spoke a single word. Keith kept his eyes locked onto Jake the entire way back. Questions swarmed through his mind. How long has Jake been able to do this? How much did he hide from him? Why can Jake do this? Did he learn magic from Aubrey? No, that’s not it. Aubrey had only been in town for a few months. Strange things have been happening with Jake for years. He couldn’t help but wonder how many times he’d brushed these strange things off as quirky behavior, or weird coincidence. Far too many. If that wasn’t it, he didn’t know how else to explain it.

Then it hit him.

Was Jake even human? 

Shit, if deranged Goatmen exist, who knows what else is out there.

He thought about it longer. One event stuck out to him particularly. All those years ago, last time they spoke. When the Kepler Stunt Club had been renamed the Hornets. Hollis was now their leader, even though they were new to the team. Jake kept insisting something was off..

Could this have something to do with it?

The lodge was now in sight, as much as one could see it through the heavy snow. Every window shone with a bright yellow light. It looked as if every single light in the lodge had been turned on. Through the haze of snow, Keith swore he saw people running in front of the lodge. One of the figures stopped, looking towards the two of them.

They called out, “JAKE?” Aubrey. It was Aubrey. “KEITH?” She shouted.

“Did you find them!?” They heard Mama shout.

Jake walked faster, leaving Keith behind. Keith would walk faster if he could, turns out walking in deep snow with a broken leg is difficult. Son of a bitch.

As he got closer, the three others came into view. Aubrey was still looking towards Keith. She put a hand over her mouth when she saw him, staring at his frozen arm.  
Mama, on the other hand, wasn’t paying much mind to him. She cupped Jake’s face in her hands, talking fast. “-Happened? Where’d you go? It started snowing heavily again and we thought that-” She paused, glancing at Keith out of the corner of her eye. That’s when she saw it. She reeled back, her hands falling to her side. Eyes locked onto Keith’s arm.   
“What- What happened!?”

Keith glared at Jake. Jake avoided his gaze.

Aubrey and Mama both slowly looked over to Jake. Jake stared at the ground, his hands in his pockets. 

“Fuck- Alright.” Mama said, walking over to Keith. She gently grabbed his arm, looking it over. “It- It’s not. Not that bad. Aubrey-” She looked to Aubrey. “You think you could handle this?”

Aubrey nodded, not taking her eyes off of Jake.

“Alright. Alright, okay. Let’s getcha down to the infirmary- Hopefully Stern ain’t in the lobby. Jake, you come with.”

“Mama I’m fine-”

“I don’t care, we need to sort this out! You’re coming with.”

***

Down in the infirmary, Aubrey healed Keith’s arm. As much as she could, anyway. It wasn’t frozen anymore. No, it was just...stiff? Hard to move. At the very least, he wouldn’t get frostbite. Or they hoped he wouldn’t. Mama paced around the room. Jake sat on one of the counters, still staring at the floor. Keith occasionally glimpsed at him. He couldn’t tell if he was still angry, or nervous, or anything. 

“Okay. You should be fine, now. It might be a little hard to move it for awhile, but at least it’s not frozen.” Aubrey said.

Keith nodded.

“That being said..” Mama looked to the two of them, “How the hell did this happen?”

Neither of them answered.

“There’s just- A lot to process here.” Mama began, chuckling. “You both disappeared in the middle of a bit of a bad situation. Keith you obviously did something here when I told you to leave Jake the fuck alone. Jake you-” She sighed. “No point in hiding it. You must’ve had something to do with Keith’s frozen arm. What happened?”

Keith inhaled. “It’s hard to explain for me.” He said. “Jake ran off down to Kepler, he looked panicked, so I follow him. And suddenly, there’s a huge fuckin’ sinkhole and Jake over here is attempting to freeze it over. It didn’t work, he fell, and when I caught him well.” He raised his previously frozen arm. “I can’t say I understand what happened from there.”

“I didn’t mean to do it.” Jake muttered. “You- You scared the hell out of me. That just- causes shit to happen. I guess.”

Keith looked Jake up and down. He was shaking, again. Fiddling with his thumbs, his head turned away from the three of them. Eyes still to the floor. He seemed so scared. Terrified, even. For the first time in awhile it felt less pathetic to Keith and more..Concerning. 

“Okay.” Keith said, his voice becoming soft. He stood up. “That’s fine. It’s alright.” He sighed. ”Look, just..I don’t care. I don’t need you guys to explain anything to me. I just want to heal my leg and go home. I don’t want to get involved in any of your- weird magic goatman bullshit. All I want to do is go home and forget this ever happened.”

None of them replied. Aubrey and Mama exchanged confused glances. Out of the corner of his eye, Keith saw Jake look up.

“If you need me, I’ll be in my room. It’s been a long night.”

***

Keith had hardly slept that night. He’d stayed up trying to piece together everything that had happened. He’d seen Jake scared plenty of times before. He wasn’t cowardly, per say, just easily shaken. He wasn’t sure why he felt so worried this time around. Something was..Off. It just didn’t add up. Jake could use ice magic, somehow. Aubrey didn’t teach him, and he doubt Mama did. Mama was weird but, not “Literally hiding the fact that she can control the fucking weather” weird. Things had always been strange with Jake. The amount of times he’d apologized when Keith mentioned the snow made sense now. Well, as much sense as this could make that is. Obviously, most of what Jake told him was made up. There’s no way in hell the guys name is actually Jake Coolice. What made the least sense to him was why he’d kept this secret.

I mean, yeah, they hated each other now. But they used to be close. It’s one thing for your best friend to tell you that he can freeze shit with his mind, it’s another to find out when he nearly gives you frostbite. Both incredibly surreal, but at least you could get answers from one option. The other all you get is confusion and an arm that should probably be amputated.

Right. Answers. Keith could tell himself and others he didn’t care all he wanted. He knew this was never going to leave him, no matter what. Even if he left the lodge, even if he never saw Jake again. His unanswered questions would follow him to the goddamn grave. 

And, what did this all have to do with Hollis? Sure they can be..Brash. A little bossy. But there’s no way that could have some connection to Jake’s magic stuff.

Right?

He sighed, turning over in bed and placing his feet to the floor. He glanced at the alarm clock on his bedside dresser. 1:43pm. The perfect time to wake up. Light shone through his blinds, the sunlight being the only thing that illuminated his room. He lifted his arm, stretching out his fingers. Good to see he was able to move it again, he supposed. His crutches sat propped up beside his dresser. He scanned the room. It was empty. He didn’t plan on decorating it, it’s not like he was staying here long.

He grabbed his crutches and headed out to the lobby, hoping to find Aubrey. Not as many people were inside the lobby. A handful of people sat around the fire, talking quietly amongst themselves. He couldn’t help but stare. He wondered how much all of them knew.

“Excuse me.” A voice behind him said.

Keith turned. Behind him stood a tall, skinny man. He wore a black and white suit, and a pair of glasses. He smiled at Keith. 

“Keith Hardley, correct? Do you have a moment?” He asked.

“...That depends, who’s asking?” Keith asked.

“Oh! That’s right! Where are my manners?” He extended his hand to Keith. “My name is Agent Stern, I work for the FBI.” 

Keith looked down at Stern’s hand, hesitantly shaking it. “The FBI? What’s someone like you doing in Kepler?”

“It’s...A long story. I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed, but weird things happen around this town a lot.”

“Okay..? And what does that have to do with me?”

“Mr.Hardley, a friend of yours approached me recently with some concerns. Do you recognize the name Hollis, by any chance?”

Hollis.

“Um..Yeah. They’re the leader of our extreme sports team.”

Stern chuckled, “Ah yes, the Hornets. I’ve heard of you little rascals.”

“What’d Hollis want? They know I’m staying here. You can tell them I’m fine.”

“Oh no, it has nothing to do with that. Ranger Newton informed them you were visiting some family that lived here.” 

Huh. Duck told a good lie. Good for him.

“Then what is it?”

“They have some troubles regarding your acquaintance Jake Coolice. Is there anything you could tell me about him?”


	9. Split

November 30th, 2016

The meetings with the Kepler Stunt Club had began to become sparse. The team still hung out, but it wasn’t much of a...team thing. They’d leave their jackets and sports equipment at home, trying not to draw attention to themselves. They went out to the slopes still, but didn’t try to do many stunts or anything. At this point they weren’t even a stunt club anymore, they were just a couple of twenty year olds hanging out. As it turns out, folks around here don’t appreciate a buncha rowdy kids running around causing “trouble.” Jumping over other people’s cars on skateboards, setting up unregulated ramps and obstacles on slopes and hills, speeding by on snowmobiles, etc. Apparently it creates a “bad atmosphere” for the town and it’s “suspicious behavior.” Sure, they crashed a snowmobile or two into trees, but it’s not like they were hurting anyone. If anything they were only hurting themselves, sometimes. Jake had crashed into a tree at full speed once. That was fun.

Police started cracking down on the team. They didn’t want to do any harm, they were just some kids trying to have fun after all. Folks around here didn’t get that. Part of Jake understood why. Kepler’s a quiet town, most people think not a lot happens here. A lot more happens around here, they just don’t know it. They think Kepler’s a peaceful little town. But the other side of him was..Hurt. That’s a good word for it. The Kepler Stunt Club was a home away from home for him. A second family. It’s where all his friends were. It’s where Keith was. He felt comfortable around these people. It was nice, but he didn’t know what they were going to if any of them were arrested. He didn’t want his friends hurt, and he certainly didn’t want to get arrested himself. What if he loses his disguise? Or they find out something about Sylvain? Perhaps that’s a little paranoid, but you can never be too careful.

Today, they were hanging out at the old abandoned grocery store again. Keith had asked them to meet him here. Whether or not this was a team meeting, nobody was sure. Keith hadn’t even shown up yet. Everyone sat around in the entrance area of the store. Silent. The atmosphere of their little hangouts had become a lot more gloomy ever since things started going downhill.

Then, they saw a truck pull up outside.

Seconds later, Keith threw the doors open. Jake smiled upon seeing he’d finally arrived.

“HEY! Hey I’m here!” Keith said, stepping into the store.

Jake ran up to him, excitement clear in his voice. “Keith! Where’ve you been?”

Keith chuckled, wrapping an arm around Jake’s shoulder and ruffling his hair. “Sorry, bud! I was out picking up a little surprise.”

“Surprise?” One of the other members asked.

Keith’s face lit up. “Give me one second!” He said.

Keith ran to the doors, standing at the entrance. “HEY! DUDE GET YOUR ASS IN HERE!” He called out.

Moments later, another person walked in beside him. They were tall, with bleach white hair. Somewhere around Keith’s age, if Jake had to guess. When they walked in everyone in the room stood up and ran over.

There was a loud chatter amongst the group as they all swarmed them with questions.

“Dude, it’s been forever!”

“How was Cali?”

“Don’t tell me you ain’t used to our little West Virginian town no more, City Kid!” Keith joked, playfully jabbing them in the ribs with his elbow.

They laughed lightly. “Of course I’m still used to it, Keith.” They said. Their voice was almost monotone.

“Um..I hate to interrupt but!” Jake approached and held out his hand to them. “I don’t think we’ve met before! My name is Jake Coolice!”

They shook his hand. Their grip was firm. “Jake? Oh.” They turned to Keith, “Is this the new kid you talk about all the time?”

Keith smiled, “Yep! He’s the best snowboarder on our team!”

They nodded and turned back to Jake. “My name is Hollis. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Jake had heard bits and pieces about Hollis, mostly from Keith. They and Keith started up the Stunt Club together back in high school. Originally Hollis was the leader of the group, Keith was more of a second in command. He didn’t know much about what they were like, or where they’d gone. Wherever they went they’d left Keith in charge of the whole operation.

“So, are we going to talk about what’s going on, or..?” Hollis muttered.

“Oh! Right!” Keith said. He wrapped his arm around Hollis’s shoulder, “City Kid here says they think they’ve got a solution to our whole cops problem.”

“Mhm.” Hollis said, struggling out of Keith’s tight grasp. “I say, we go official. All of our stunts could be framed as a sort of...practice. Hell, if we do so we could even join competitions. Can’t do that if you’re just a buncha rowdy kids crashing into peoples lawns constantly.”

“Would that even work?” One of the members asked.

“It’s worth a shot, isn’t it?” Keith replied. “They’ve even already got a cool name for us! Tell ‘em, Hollis!” Keith jabbed Hollis in the ribs lightly.

“Right. I was thinking something like...The Hornets.” They said.

Jake stood silent as his team mates muttered in agreement. He felt something in his chest tighten.

***

December 1st, 2016

“Jake.” Mama’s voice brought him back to reality. He looked up.

“Oh uh- Sorry.” He muttered. “Where were we?” 

The two of them stood in the middle of an open area in the woods, not too far from Amnesty lodge. They’d come off one of the nearby dirt roads. Nobody had used it in years, so they’d figured they would’ve been fine staying down here. Jake looked around, small patches of snow and ice surrounded them in a small area around them. 

“Alright, well, from the top: We’re tryna help ya get a better hold on those powers of yours.” Mama said, “Now that you’re hangin’ out with humans all the time you gotta be careful.”

“Oh. Oh yeah.” Jake said. “Sorry I just- I have a lot on my mind right now.”

“Yeah, it shows.” Mama said, glancing down at the patches of ice and snow that surrounded them. “You wanna take a break? I brought some orange pop up here, we could relax so you can get it off your mind if y’need to.”

Jake smiled, “Yeah. I think that’d be great, actually.”

They sat in the bed of Mama’s truck. Jake sat on the ledge, cracking open a soda can that Mama tossed to him. Mama sat across from him, placing her drink down on the ledge next to her.

“So, what’s troublin’ you, kid?” Mama asked.

“I dunno, it’s..a lot.” Jake took a sip of his soda. “Like- Okay it doesn’t, trouble me? I’m not- like- upset about it. It just makes me...worried? That’s probably the best word for it. Just- Okay, you know the Stunt Club right?”

“Dunno how I couldn’t. You talk about that Keith kid nonstop, and you’ve nearly broke your neck practicin’ y’alls little tricks almost a-hundred times.” Mama chuckled.

“Heh, yeah, but uh...This new kid- Well, not exactly new. They used to live here. Their name is Hollis.” Jake explained.

“Oh yeah! Hollis Bergara, I used to know their mother. Smart kid.”

“Yeah, them! Well, they moved back to Kepler recently and they’re back on the team. And y’know about the whole...Police cracking down on the Stunt Club thing.” 

“Mhm. I told ya, Jake, you gotta be careful. Those guys arrest ya and you somehow lose your disguise charm, that’s it y’know.” 

Jake tugged at his scarf nervously, “Y-Yeah trust me, I know. But, they said if we wanna avoid gettin’ into trouble we could become an official sports team, doing competitive stuff. But I’m not sure if..I’m okay with that?” He sighed, setting down his drink. “I like the team, they’re all nice folks and I have fun hangin’ out with them. But I’m not really in it for the competition, I’m in it for fun.”

“Didja tell ‘em this?” Mama asked.

“Well...No, but-”

“Jake, if ya never tell someone somethin’s upsettin’ you they’re not gonna know. If this whole competitive thing bothers you, tell ‘em! They aren’t gonna know you have a problem with it if ya don’t.” Mama said, “You’re the only one who can fix your problems. If you don’t take any action, don’t be surprised when things turn out bad.”

“And what if they don’t wanna change it? They all seem pretty hyped about going official.”

“You could always leave the team. I don’t see why you can’t still be friends even if you’re not doin’ sports with ‘em.” 

“I dunno..” Jake mumbled. “I wouldn’t want to make Keith upset. This team means a lot to both of us..”

“Um..Jake-” Mama said, pointing to something beside him. Jake looked to his side, bits of ice had began forming around his hands on the truck.

“Oh- Shit sorry-” Jake said, standing up. The ice began to form around his feet. He jumped down from the truck. The ice began freezing over patches of grass. “Sorry I don’t know how to stop it-”

“Nono this is good! Don’t try to.” Mama said, jumping down from the truck as well. “Your emotions can trigger your powers. Maybe try to harness that?”

“I don’t know how!”

“I dunno, focus or somethin’! I’m no magic expert but it could work?”

The ice around him covered the grass in a thin coat of frost. It’s spread was slow, almost methodical. He focused on the sinking feeling in his chest. Keith wouldn’t be too upset if leaving the team is what Jake had to do, right? He’d understand, he always did. Right? The crackling of the grass freezing around him grew louder. The layers of frost grew thicker, now almost reaching the edges of the clearing. The soft crushing of ice rang out as Jake stepped forward, throwing his arm in front of himself, palm aimed at a nearby tree. One right after the other, jagged spears of ice erupted from the ground. The final spear reached the end of the clearing, impaling one of the nearby trees. It fell to the ground with a loud crash. The spread of the frost stopped.

Mama stood behind Jake, slack jawed. “Holy shit, Jake! That was amazing!”

“Th-Thanks? I didn’t know I could do that.” Jake mumbled, staring at his palms.

“Well you learn something new every day. You’re getting a hold of your powers, at least!”

“I guess.” Jake chuckled. “I sure hope there weren’t any animals in that thing though.”

Then, there was rustling in the bushes.

Jake froze, eyes locked onto the brush.

Mama turned her head to face him, holding up a single finger over her lips. She crept towards the bushes, the frost cracking underneath her feet. More rustling came from the brush, followed up by the crushing of leaves under something’s weight. The sound vanished almost as quickly as it had started. Mama ran towards the brush, pushing apart a few bushes. She sighed, turning back to Jake.

Before she could say anything Jake spoke up, “Was someone there?”

“No I- I think it was an animal. There’s old hiking trails nearby, but nobody’s used those in years.” Mama said. She gently grabbed Jake’s arm, “”Let’s- Let’s just go back to the lodge. I’m sure everything’s fine.”

***

December 10th, 2016

Jake approached the abandoned grocery store he and his friends met up in. His hands trembled, his legs felt like jelly. He shouldn’t be this shaken, he knew he shouldn’t be. It’s just a team, it’s not the end of the world if he has to leave. They could all still hang out. They could all still be friends. Stunt Club, Hornets, whatever. New name, same people, same bonds. Right? They’d understand. They always did.

Keith would understand.

He always did.

The door creaked open, the drawn out noise being disguised by others talking inside the building. 

“-rd being back in Kepler after so long.” Hollis said.

“How so?” Keith asked.

“Well, first of all, you’re taller than me now. So that’s one thing.” Hollis said, Keith giving a hearty laugh. “A lot of things have changed, though..Did you know those old hiking trails have been abandoned?”

Wait.

“Oh, yeah. Nobody has used them in years.” Keith replied.

Hold on.

“I went down there the other day. It was...Uneventful..” They mumbled, looking down to the ground. They fiddled with their fingers.

The door slipped out of Jake’s grasp, slamming back into place. Jake jumped. The air became cold.

All eyes were on him.

Hollis’s eyes were on him.

Their bladed gaze pierced through him.

“Jake!” Keith said, approaching him with a cheeky grin. “You’re late!”

“..Sorry.” Jake muttered.

“At least now we can-”

“Hold on.” Hollis interrupted. “Jake. Can I have a word with you?”

Hesitantly, he nodded.

Hollis walked towards the back of the store, glancing back at Jake.

He followed. His stomach churned as he approached them. They stood near the back of the building. Jake couldn’t see anyone else amongst the many abandoned and tipped over shelves that surrounded them.

“So.” They said, their voice quieter than usual.

“So…” Jake replied.

“Let’s get the elephant out of the room. What did you do at the trails?” They asked.

Fuck.

“The trails?” Jake asked.

“Don’t play dumb. What was that? How did you do that?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Jake. I saw you. I heard you speaking to that woman in the woods. I saw the tree collapse. What was that.”

Jake didn’t speak. The air around them became colder.

Hollis shivered, grasping at the sides of their arms. They shot Jake an almost terrified look. “How are you doing that.”

“I’m not doing anything.”

“Liar.”

Ice began to form on the ground around them. Hollis starred down, shocked.

Jake attempted to back away, Hollis grabbed his arm. Jake’s breath hitched. A small crackling alerted Hollis to the thin layer of frost crawling up their arm. They jerked their arm away, the frost almost instantly melting away.

“What the hell is wrong with you!?” They snapped.

He ran. He ran as fast as he could. A few people called out his name as he ran by. He didn’t care, he wasn’t listening. He threw open the front doors and booked it.

“JAKE!” A voice behind him called out. Jake stopped in his tracks, turning to see Keith standing not far behind him.

It began to snow.

Keith rushed to him, “Dude, what’s going on?”

“Keith- Listen I- I just-” His chest tightened, his breath became labored. “I can’t- I can’t be on the team anymore. I can’t.”

Keith reeled back, “Wait, what?”

“I can’t- I- I need to go-”

“Hold on!” Keith stepped to Jake’s side, careful to keep his hands off him. “Hey, hey calm down what’s going on? Why’re you quitting?”

“It’s too- too much- I just-” Jake brushed his hand through his hair, his other hand grappling with his scarf. “I just- It’s a lot, Keith. I can’t do this-”

The snow became heavier.

“Jake. What’s going on.”

“Hollis-” He started, then he paused. His grip tightened on his scarf.

Keith couldn’t know what Hollis saw.

Keith couldn’t know about Sylvain.

Keith couldn’t know about the abominations.

Keith couldn’t know about Jake.

Keith couldn’t know about anything.

“..Hollis? What about them?” Keith said. “I mean, I know they’re a little intimidating but y’can’t let that scare ya off! I promise they’re really-”

“No- No that’s not-” Jake let out a shaken breath, one he’d held in for far too long. “I have to go.” He walked ahead, hardly able to see straight.

The snow grew heavier.

“Jake!” Keith called out once more. He ran after him, “Jake please just talk to me!”

“I CAN’T.” Jake shouted, grasping at his sleeves. Part of him felt it’d help him catch his breath. It didn’t. 

Keith stopped.

“Why can’t you?” He said. “You trust me, don’t you?”

“Yes, but- but Keith I-” Jake’s breathing hitched once more. “Something’s- Something is wrong- wrong with Hollis. That’s all- all I can say.”

“Wrong with Hollis? Jake nothing is wrong with them.”

“Not- With them- Something. Happened- Please just- Keith I need- need to go-”

“What happened?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“Why not?” Keith had begun raising his voice.

“I just- I can’t. Keith. Please. Just trust me.”

“I can’t if you won’t fucking tell me what’s going on!”

Jake backed away slowly. Keith was trembling, he couldn’t tell if it was out of anger or the increasing cold. He knew he couldn’t tell Keith anything. He couldn’t take that risk. But he also knew Keith wouldn’t settle for a vague answer, or no answer at all.

Jake glanced at him before he began to run away.

“JAKE!” He heard Keith shout. He kept running. 

The snow grew even heavier, it was almost storming by now.

Keith’s voice called out in the distance, “JAKE!!!” 

He kept running.

The crunching of snow beneath his shoes was almost inaudible to him. The thoughts that raced through his head were nothing but panicked, rushed “what if”’s. He stumbled over himself, losing his balance and almost falling as he ran blindly through the streets of Kepler. 

He didn’t stop until he reached the lodge.

He threw open the doors, they slammed into the walls next to them. He paid no mind to the people who begun to approach him, asking what was going on. Asking what happened. Asking if he was okay. He made a beeline to his room, slamming the door shut behind him.

Jake collapsed onto his bed, curling into a ball, hardly able to breathe.

He brought his hands up to his face, feeling the small, wet streaks trailing down his cheeks. He’d hardly noticed they were there before.

It wasn’t long until someone entered his room. Jake’s grip tightened around his bedsheets, expecting the worst. Angry yelling. Accusations. The whole ordeal.

Instead, he was met with a familiar, comforting voice.

“Jake?” Mama said in a hushed, gentle whisper.

She sat next to him on the bed, he felt himself untense.

A hand placed itself gently onto his shoulder. “Jake, what’s the matter..?”

Without thinking, he sat up and threw his arms around Mama’s shoulders. He buried his face into her duster, quietly whimpering as tears fell down his face. Mama wrapped her arms around him, placing her chin atop his head. She could feel him shaking as he let out muffled sobs. 

Mama’s voice was soft as she spoke, “Hey now, Jake it’s alright..I’m right here, I’ve got you. It’s okay. You’re going to be okay..”


	10. Hollis

“Troubles?” Keith asked, “What do you mean?”

“Mr.Hardley, I’m with the Unexplained Phenomena Bureau at the FBI, and your friend Hollis has said they’ve seen Jake do some...Very unexplainable things.” Stern explained.

“What? Like, magic?”

Stern nodded, “Now, I know it sounds absolutely ridiculous. Some people in my own division don’t even believe any of this. But even so, I just need you to tell me some things about him. Has he ever done anything strange? Something you couldn’t explain?”

Shit.

How did Hollis know? Did Jake tell them? No, that’s ridiculous. Jake didn’t even tell Keith, he wouldn’t have told someone he’d only known for a week. Had Hollis seen something? How. How did they see anything. Jake never intentionally used his powers back then, not that Keith remembered. Sure, there were a few incidents where it began snowing out of nowhere, or the temperature suddenly dropped, which Keith now knew was because of Jake, but if he didn’t catch that how could Hollis? He’s not even sure that those incidents were intentional.

Keith forced a laugh, “Listen, dude, Jake’s never done anything wrong in his life. The weirdest thing I’ve ever seen him do is shotgun three beers at once, with only two hands. I think you’ve got the wrong guy.”

“Well, your friend Hollis must have seen something.”

“If they did, and that’s a big if, I don’t know what it was. If you ask me, Hollis is just-” He paused. “Just. Upset with him. They have a bit of beef, most of the Hornets do. Some shit happened with Jake awhile back and…” His voice trailed off there, he turned his head away from Stern.

Stern stayed quiet, staring at Keith almost expectantly.

Keith glanced over, “I dunno, man! Jake and Hollis got into some sorta argument, or something, and then he just up and left. It wasn’t anythin’...weird, not in the way you’re lookin’ for.” He sighed, “Just- Look. Have you ever met the guy before?”

“Yes, actually. He’s an upstanding young man, very energetic.” Stern chuckled, a light smile spreading across his face.

“So do you really think he’d be some sort of- What? Monster? What the hell are you even trying to find here?”

Stern thought for a moment, laughing again. “You’re probably right. Truly, I wouldn’t expect Jake of anything if it weren’t for Hollis’s report.”

“What did they even say to you?”

“I’m not sure I can tell you that.”

“But it was a false report.”

“Doesn’t matter, I still can’t tell you.”

‘Are you fucking serious. Is it that hard to give a guy some answers for once? Is it that hard to explain one thing?’ Keith thought.

“Fine. Can I go now?” He said.

Stern nodded, “Of course. Thank you for your time, Mr.Hardley.”

Keith stormed past him without another word. He needed to find Hollis. He needed to know what it was they saw. If anyone was going to give him some answers for once, it would be Hollis. Or at the very least he hoped they would. When did they see this? What did they see? Why didn’t they tell him?

He threw his room door open, grabbing his jacket and quickly putting it on. Down the hall a door slammed, making him jump. He starred out his open door, expecting something, anything. But nothing came. He sighed, choosing to ignore it. He didn’t care right now, he couldn’t care right now. He wanted answers. He needed answers.

If he wanted to find Hollis, there was only one place to look:

The Hornet’s Nest.

***

It’d began snowing before Keith had left the lodge. The freezing cold nipped at his face as he walked down the streets of Kepler. It was times like these that made him wish he hadn’t broken his leg. Maybe then he wouldn’t have gotten involved in any of this. Maybe then he wouldn’t have so desperately wanted answers.

A voice in the back of his head told him that wasn’t true.

In time, Keith stood in front of a small, rundown bar. A bright red and blue sign read “THE LITTLE DIPPER”, one or two of the letters’ lights flickering. They’d nicknamed the establishment The Hornet’s Nest, it’s where they hung out nowadays. Better than some old abandoned grocery store. Plus, they had alcohol, so that was a bonus. In front of the bar were parked multiple black and yellow motorbikes. The Hornets were here.

He pushed the door open, being hit by a wave of heat against the bitter cold of the outdoors. A few folks sat around the bar, but the group that caught his eye were the ones sitting in the corner wearing bright yellow and black jackets. They were talking loudly amongst themselves, none of them noticed Keith walk in. Among them stood a tall figure with bleached white hair.

“Hollis!” Keith called out, approaching their table.

The group turned to look at him, several of them smiling and holding up their drinks, shouting thinks like “Eeeyyy Keith is back!” “We missed you, bud!” “Where have you been?” He ignored them.

Hollis smiled, “Keith, it’s good to see you again.” They examined him, “Why’re you on crutches? Did something happen?”

“It’s a long story.” Keith said, “Listen, can we talk? Just the two of us?”

The group behind him let out a bunch of “Oooooo”’s, like a class of small children when one of their peers gets called to the office.

“..Sure? Why, what’s wrong?” Hollis asked.

“Just follow me.”

He led them outside, just in front of the bar. He glanced around to make sure no one was listening.

“So what’s this all about?” Hollis asked after a long moment of silence, “The snow’s getting pretty heavy, Keith, you might want to make this quick.”

“What did you see.” Keith said, his voice almost emotionlessly.

Hollis blinked, taken aback. “Excuse me?”

“Jake. I know about Jake. What did you see him do?”

“Is that what you’ve been up to for the last few days? I thought you were visiting family?”

“No! I’ve been at the Amnesty Lodge because of-” He gestures down to his broken leg, “This!”

“Amnesty Lodge? Like, where that Aubrey chick lives?”

“Yes! And I need you to tell me what-”

“Keith.” Hollis interrupted, putting their hand on Keith’s shoulder. “Relax. You’re not making any sense. Breathe for a second.”

He jerked away, “I CAN’T!” Keith shouted, “DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT I’VE BEEN THROUGH IN THE PAST FEW DAYS? All these fucking- goatmen and magic and Jake- AND NOBODY IS TELLING ME ANYTHING! I don’t understand-”

“KEITH.” Hollis said, grabbing Keith’s shoulder again, cupping his face with their other hand. “Relax. If you calm the fuck down I can tell you anything, you need to relax. You’ve clearly been through a lot.”

They sat him down on the steps of the Little Dipper. Keith buried his face in his hands, breathing heavy. Hollis patted Keith’s back, “Hey, c’mon big guy, relax. You’re okay. Get your thoughts in order, and tell me what you’re on about.”

After a few moments, Keith let out a shaken breath, “You can’t tell nobody. This is between us.”

Hollis nodded, their voice quiet and gentle, “Of course.”

“I know about Jake’s...Shit, there’s no other way to word it.” He laughed, “He can do ice magic, huh?”

“..Yeah.” Hollis muttered.

“Did you know?” 

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” 

Hollis laughed, “Keith, if someone came up to you and told you your best friend controlled the goddamn weather you’d think they were crazy.”

“I would’ve believed you!” Keith replied.

“Would you have?”

..No. No he wouldn’t have.

“Exactly.” Hollis said, breaking the silence once more.

“Then why tell Agent Stern?”

“I ran into him in town,” Hollis explained, “Said I didn’t recognize him, asked what he was doing in town. The guy said he’s here to investigate unexplained phenomena, and I thought I coulda helped him.”

“But...What about Jake?”

Hollis’s face twisted in confusion, “What about him?”

“He-” Keith paused. “He’s harmless.”

“You don’t know that.” Hollis replied.

“You don’t know what he’s dangerous! Hollis have you ever seen him attack somebody?”

Hollis sighed, “Listen, Keith. Jake, whatever he is, I don’t...I don’t think I can trust him. The day he ran off from the Hornets, he froze my arm. I saw the guy tear through a tree with nothing but shards of ice at the snap of a finger. It’s dangerous. He’s dangerous, and I don’t want someone like him here. I don’t want him to hurt anyone in this town, and I certainly don’t want him hurting you. I know you still care about him, but-”

“He wouldn’t hurt me.” Keith interrupted.

“It’s pretty clear he’s the one who broke your-”

“He’s not! He didn’t do anything to me!” Keith stood up, “Hollis if you’d just-”

“I don’t have any reason to believe he isn’t a danger to everyone-”

“JUST LISTEN TO ME.”

A deafening silence washed over them. Hollis starred up at Keith wordlessly.

“There’s- There’s an explanation behind all of this, I know there is. Jake isn’t dangerous, I can prove it to you, just- come with me to the lodge! We can sort this all out, I’m sure!” He pleaded, eyes locked onto Hollis’s in desperation.

Hollis stared back, breaking their gaze away from him as they sighed. “Fine. If it makes you feel better. But if something goes awry-”

“It won’t. I promise it won’t.”

They stood up, looking away from Keith. “Lead the way then, chief.”

***

By the time they’d arrived at the lodge, the snow had started coming down heavily. Hollis could hardly drive their bike through all the slush. They pulled up in front of the lodge, the bright yellow glow from the windows illuminating their faces. When they walked inside, many residents had gathered in the lobby and were talking amongst themselves. A few heads turned to face Keith and Hollis. The chattering stopped when the residents saw Keith storm in with an unfamiliar face by his side. Mama stood in the lobby, talking to Aubrey, and turned her head to face them whenever they walked inside.

“Hey- Hold on!” Mama said, walking towards Keith, “Who said you could bring Hollis here? Where have you been!?”

“They know about Jake.” Keith interrupted.

Mama paused.

“What!? Did you-”

“I didn’t tell them, they saw Jake do some- weird. Bullshit with some trees or whatever.”

“Hold on, you’re the lady I saw with him.” Hollis spoke up.

“Yeah okay there’s a lot- like, a lot a lot- to sort out here. But, Mama, we need to find Jake.” Keith said.

“No way, you’re not bothering him. He’s been through a lot of shit the past few days cause’a you.”

“I just want answers! Is it that fucking hard to give us a simple explanation!?”

“You have no idea what you’re dealing with here! All of this goes far beyond your beef with Jake!”

“Mama we’ve both already seen what he can do. I’ve seen what Aubrey can do. I’ve heard you mention- Abominations, or, whatever it was. I think it’s about fucking time we get some explanation, you can’t hide it forever.” Keith interrupted.

Mama let out a gruff sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose, “Fine. Fine. But if everything goes to Hell after this, I’m blamin’ the two of you.” She grumbled, “I dunno where he is, he’s in his room, probably.” She turned to Aubrey, “Aubrey have you seen ‘im?”

“Not...Since yesterday no..” Aubrey said, “I might’ve seen him leaving the lodge.”

“Leaving the lodge?” Mama asked, “He usually tells someone when he runs out to the slopes.”

An uncomfortable silence fell over the group.

“Did you see him come back?” Mama muttered.

Aubrey shook her head.

Keith thought for a moment.

Then it hit him

“What..time did you see him leave?” He asked.

“I dunno, sometime earlier in the afternoon?”

Fuck.

Fuck fuck fuck.

Keith took a deep breath.

“Okay...So. Nobody freak out,” He said, “But...He may or may not have seen me talking to Agent Stern.”


	11. Flicker

December 12th, 2018

The door of the bar flew open, a small group of people in black and yellow jackets pouring into the establishment. Among these people were Hollis, the leader of the Hornets, and Keith, their Lieutenant. Everyone else in the group spoke obnoxiously loud, laughing heartily as they all ordered their own drinks and gathered around their usual table. Keith, however, remained silent. He’d only spoken when he’d ordered his drink. Whenever it was handed to him he didn’t even touch it. Hollis took notice of this only after a few minutes.

“Hey,” They said, placing a hand on Keith’s shoulder, “You doing alright?”

Keith perked up, looking Hollis in the eye before turning away again. He sighed, “Yeah...Yeah I’m. Fine.” He muttered. Keith stood up from the table, “Hey, guys, I’m gonna step outside for a second.” He said. Hollis stared after him as he walked out the door.

Keith shivered when he stepped outside, looking above he noticed it had begun to snow. He sat down on the steps of the bar’s porch, pulling a box of cigarettes out of his pocket. He grabbed his lighter as well, twisting it around in his hands as he pulled out a cigarette. He just needed to relax, that was all. Get his mind off of things.

He brought his lighter up and flicked it. It didn’t light.

Goddammit.

He flicked it again. Still nothing.

He really didn’t need this right now. Today’s been shitty enough.

Another flick with no flame.

Maybe it wouldn’t have been if it weren’t for Jake.

Another. Nothing still.

And his- Weird new friends. What the hell was wrong with that woman.

Flick.

They really had to show up on the same day as them, huh?

Flick.

He didn’t even say anything. 

Flick

He just stood there, frozen, like a coward.

Flick.

It would’ve been nice for him to at least say “Hello.”

Flick.

Or maybe “How are you?”

Flick.

“I’m sorry.”

Flick.

“I miss you.”

Keith flicked his lighter one last time, yet again producing no flames. His hands had begun shaking. He stood up, yelling in frustration as he chucked the lighter across the parking lot of The Little Dipper. The stillness around him sent chills down his spine.

“Hey.” A voice said behind him.

Hollis.

They reached into their pocket, handing Keith a small lighter, “Don’t chuck this one, alright?” They snickered.

“Shut up.” He muttered, lighting his cigarette and taking a long drag off it.

“You uh...You wanna talk about whatever that was?” Hollis asked, sitting down next to him.

“It’s fine.” Keith muttered.

“Is this about what happened at the slopes?”

Keith didn’t respond. He took another long drag off of his cigarette.

“I didn’t think it’d bother you so much.” Hollis said, “You can talk about it if you need to.”

“No, seriously, Hollis. It’s fine. I’m fine.”

“Keith.” They placed a hand on his shoulder, “I’m serious.”

Keith sighed.

“It’s Jake.”

“Jake?”

“He was being a total dick! Didn’t even say hi or anything, just stood there acting like I shot him or something.”

“Well, Keith you...Were kind of insultin’ him and his buddies.” Hollis said, “You can’t really expect him to be all friendly with you after that.”

Keith rolled his eyes, tossing his cigarette on the ground and stomping it out with his shoe. “I didn’t say shit about them. I called the guy a scrub- like, that’s something twelve year olds think is offensive! He’s such a crybaby.”

Hollis stared at him for a moment “You know,” they said, “You’re probably the last person I expected to be so bitter about just seeing the guy.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You two were best friends, weren’t you?’

Keith scoffed, “Best friends my ass. He wouldn’t have ditched me without explanation if he actually gave a damn about me.” He then laughed, “And, funny thing is, he tried to blame it on you!” He sat back against the steps behind him, staring up at the evening sky. “If you ask me, he was jealous. I don’t know why I was surprised. He’s always been a sensitive bitch like that.”

“I..Had no idea you were so shaken up about all of this.” Hollis said.

“Shaken up?” Keith shot them a glare. “I mean, I guess I’m pissed off. But I don’t..I don’t care. If the guy wants to just abandon people who took them under their wing then whatever. Not even give any sort of- explanation as to why. Whatever. I don’t care. I don’t need answers.”

“...Keith.” Hollis’s voice became gentle again, “Do you still care about him?”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re not very subtle, is all.” Hollis said, chuckling lightly.

Keith looked away from them, “Literally what about any of that makes you think I care?” He spat, “I mean...Yeah. I wish we knew why he left. I wish he didn’t run out on us. I wish that at the very least he would’ve come back, just once, and try to make sense of it all. But...He didn’t. He avoided us like the plague. We didn’t even see him once in years until today. I just- I just I wish I knew why he abandoned me-”

He stopped.

Hollis said nothing.

A lump had begun to form in Keith’s throat. He took a deep inhale, “Us. Why he abandoned us.”

Silence. Dead silence.

Out of the corner of his eye, Keith could see Hollis staring at him. A look of pity clear on their face. All of his anger drained out of him, being replaced by a crushing weight on his shoulders.

Keith slumped forward, burying his face in his hands. “Fuck, Hollis..” He said. “I miss him.”

He felt their hand press gently against his back, “I know, Keith.” They mumbled.

Another silence.

A long, chilling silence.

“Listen, Keith..” Hollis said, “I know...I know you miss him. I understand. I wasn’t around for y’alls whole thing, but, from what you told me about him I know y’all were real close.” They turn their head away from him, “But..You gotta move on at some point. He hurt you, he ran away from you after leaving you scared and confused. Acting all bitter towards him isn’t- It isn’t going to help you forget what he did. It won’t help you feel better. Maybe you still think about it a lot. Maybe you still think about how it doesn’t make any sense, or how you gotta do something about it. Sometimes, though, you can’t really do anything. You just gotta be on guard and try to keep moving forward.”

Their hand had started trembling, Keith felt the small, barely noticeable tremors on his back. 

“I know. I know.” Keith muttered.

“Look..” Hollis said, “I’m not sure what to do about Jake. I know you still care, I know you still love him, but it’s for the best that we steer clear of him.”

Keith snorted, “Won’t be that hard. He wouldn’t even come within a thousand miles of us if he had the chance.”

“That’s a good thing.”

Hollis stood up, “I’m gonna head back inside. It’s chilly as hell out here. You coming in too or do you need more time to yourself?”

“I’ll join you, I don’t want the team giving me shit for being gone for too long.”

Hollis laughed, “That’s fair. Now let’s go I can feel my arms freezing over.”

They approached the door, Hollis walking in before Keith. Keith turned to face the outdoor scene one last time before he followed Hollis in.

He couldn’t help but notice how heavily it had snowed that afternoon.


	12. Absence

“You ratted Jake out!?” Mama snapped through clenched teeth, “Keith Hardley did you tell a fuckin’ government agent about Jake? We’ve hardly known you a MONTH and you’ve already caused this much trouble for us!”

“No! No I-I didn't! I swear I didn’t tell him nothin’!” Keith threw his hands up in defense, “He asked me if I’d see Jake doing anything strange, and I told ‘im no! I was trying to cover for him!”

“How would Stern know about Jake in the first goddamn place!?”

“I told him.” Hollis said.

All eyes fell on Hollis.

They continued, “I saw Jake using magic awhile back. Stern said he was looking to solve some unexplained phenomena, I thought I could help.”

“You..” Mama said, “You knew about Jake?”

Hollis turned to face Mama. Her eyes pierced through them, their expression unreadable. They raised an eyebrow, “He never told you?” They almost sounded shocked, but a part of them sounded like they...expected this.

Mama stared back in silence.

“I’ll take that look on your face as a no.” Hollis said, “It about a week after I saw what happened, I confronted Jake. I wanted to know what was going on. What did he do. He was a danger to the people of this town and I had to do something about it!”

“Jake would never hurt anyone!” Mama said. Keith had to hold himself back from mimicking her words.

“He froze my arm! He cut through a tree like it was nothing! Can you blame me for going to the one guy who could handle this?”

“Can you blame him!? Kid, you have no idea what you’re messing with here. What you did today would have jeopardized all of our lives. You’re lucky your little lieutenant here has at least SOME common sense, or we’d all be toast.” Mama sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, “And now Jake is missing! He musta run off cause he thought you were mouthing off to Stern, Keith!”

“It’s not the first time he’s run away from something.” Hollis said, staring Mama directly in the eye.

“Guys, this is getting ridiculous!” Aubrey cut in, “Mama, we need to find Jake before..” Her voice trailed off. Keith swore she glanced over to the two of them for a split second.

“We can help.” Keith finally speaks up.

“No. Hell no. You caused this mess and you’re not gonna make it worse.” Mama said. “We’ll handle it.”

“But-”

“Keith, come off it.” Hollis said, grabbing his shoulder. “I’m sure he’ll be back. Probably just off in the woods trying to chill out.”

Keith wasn’t so sure, but he no longer protested.

A feeling of dread overtook Keith’s chest.

Last time Jake ran off he never came back.

***

A week had passed since anyone in the lodge had seen Jake.

Dani hadn’t seen him. Barclay hadn’t seen him. Not even Agent Stern had seen him.

It seemed as though he’d vanished off the face of the Earth.

Aubrey had become so busy with trying to find Jake that their regular healing schedule had been put on pause. 

Aubrey, Duck, Ned, and Mama- who Keith now knew were referred to as The Pineguard, though he wasn’t sure why- had searched the town and woods almost day and night. Nothing. No trace of him whatsoever. 

Everyone in the lodge seemed on edge, anxious. Scared, even. Many of them flocked towards the nearby hot springs more frequently than usual. It was..strange.

Keith didn’t speak much over the week. He avoided the residents, not that any of them cared. By now they all knew why Jake ran off. It was Keith’s fault.

Part of him hoped it wasn’t. Not this time.

Not again.

The snow had gotten heavy over the past week, never a good sign. Maybe everyone knew this. Maybe they all chose to ignore it. The implications of the storm is something Keith didn’t like to think about, so maybe nobody else did.

Despite this, Keith still stayed outside from time to time.

On one particular evening, he’d walked to the back of the lodge. Wanting to be alone for a few hours, he thought maybe this would be the perfect place to hide out for a bit. Sure, there was his room, but everyone knew he was there. Everyone knew where he was. He just wanted to be completely out of sight and completely out of mind.

What he didn’t expect to find back there was Mama, sitting on a fallen over tree trunk.

He froze, half expecting her to turn around and tell him to go away. Maybe yell at him. But..she didn’t do anything. She sat staring at the ground in silence.

He hesitated before he approached, “Hey...Um..” She turned to face him, he took a deep breath, “What’re you doing out here? I thought you were out searching?”

She sighed and turned back around, “No. I said I’d stay here in case Jake came by the lodge.”

A silence fell over them.

Keith had never heard this woman so...saddened before.

He slowly came to her side, “Mind if I..?”

“Go ahead.”

Keith sat down next to her, placing his crutches in the snow in front of him.

Another silence.

“...I’m sorry.” Keith said.

Mama glanced at him, saying nothing.

“I- I know I shouldn’t have- It’s just that- There’s a lot that’s been-” He sighed, turning away from her. “I know. I know I shouldn’t have gotten involved with what your friends were doing. I know I should’ve stayed here instead of following Jake. I..I know I..” He paused again. “I know I should’ve listened to him the day he left.”

Mama still said nothing.

“I’m sorry, I really am.” Keith continued, “It’s just that- God. I didn’t understand what was happening. That day he left the team he just...ran off without explaining why. I didn’t understand. I didn’t- didn’t know that all of THIS is something he had to keep from me..I didn’t know it was so serious.” He brought his hands to his sleeves, fidgeting with them, “I know I haven’t been the greatest friend to Jake. I know I’ve caused a lot of trouble, and I’m sorry.”

Mama chuckled, “Y’know, it’s funny. He never really told me why you guys stopped talking.”

“He didn’t?”

“Nah, the kid just came home bawling his eyes out one day. I figured he’d told y’all he wanted to leave the time and shit hit the fan.”

Keith felt his chest ache when Mama said that.

“He wanted to leave the team?”

“Seemed like it. He was never a fan of the whole competitive thing.”

“Well. We went a little less competitive more..biker gang in the end.”

Mama snorted, “You really think he would’ve liked that?”

“No ma’am I can’t say he would’ve.” Keith couldn’t help but laugh.

Small, almost sad. smiles spread across both their faces. They quickly faded as another silence fell upon the two of them.

“Look, Mama,” Keith said, “I know I fucked up. This is my fault, and I want to fix it. Please, you gotta let me help you guys search for Jake.”

The sad smile from before returned, Mama shook her head, “Keith, it’s too dangerous for you now.”

“What do you mean?”

She thought for a moment. A long moment.

“Keith..Jake isn’t...Well, he isn’t human.” She said.

“Yeah I think I got that part.”

“Y’see those hot springs over there?” She gestured to the nearby pool of water. For once, it was empty. Nobody was inside it.

“Yeah, I do.”

“Them there hot springs keep creatures like Jake stable. It’s the heart of the place they came from, it helps them continue to live. Think of it like recharging yourself every now and again.” Mama explained, “But...Without it, they can become dangerous. They lose themselves.”

Keith’s eyes widened, “So- So Jake’s...Jake’s just, running around out there, and he could-” He stopped himself.

“If we don’t find him soon, probably.” Mama said. “Everyone is usually sure to go in at least once per day, otherwise the events I just described could very well happen.”

“...And Jake’s been missing for a week.”

“And now you see what kinda shit we’re in.”

“Then why would he run off?! D-Doesn’t he realize how dangerous that is?!”

“Maybe. I don’t know. We tend to do a lot of stupid shit when we’re scared. Maybe..Maybe something happened, but..” She laughed nervously, “God. God I sure hope he’s okay.”

“Then let me help you guys. Please.”

“Keith, you’re on crutches. You really think you could take him on if he attacks you?”

“He’s smaller than me, I’d be fine! What’s the worst he could do? Freeze my arm again? He seems to have a thing for that.”

“You don’t know the half of it, kid.” Mama sighed.

“And what’ll you do if he attacks you, huh?” Keith retorted, “You expect yourself to be able to drag him back to the hot springs?”

“No. I got a backup.” Mama said, before pulling out a small necklace. Attached to its end was a small, bright orange crystal. “Borrowed it from Barclay. It’ll stabilize any one of ‘em in a second.” 

“Then just let me-”

“Keith.” Mama interrupted, “I appreciate your concern. I do. But I don’t want you getting killed because of this.”

Keith stared at her, shocked.

“Jake wouldn’t do that.”

“You don’t know if it’s Jake who’s out there anymore.”

With that, she stood up, pocketing the small necklace again. She looked down to him, “Get inside soon, alright? Snows getting heavier and heavier every day.”

She walked inside without another word.

***

Keith walked inside only a few minutes later, making a beeline to his room. He opened the door. Inside sat Hollis, who was laid back on his bed reading a magazine. They’d been stuck here at the lodge ever since it began snowing the night they came here. Turns out it’s ridiculously hard to motorbike or walk through heavy snow without literally dying. Keith could hardly imagine what the Pineguard were going through with each of their searches.

They looked up from their magazine, “Hey.” They said. “Where you been?”

“Out back.” He said, his voice almost empty.

“..Still worried about Jake?” They muttered.

“..Yeah.”

They sat up, placing their magazine on Keith’s beside table. They patted the bed next to them, “C’mon, big guy, sit down and talk it out.” They said.

Keith sat next to them, staring down at the floor.

“So?” They said.

“So..” Keith muttered.

“Let’s get the elephant out of the room,” Hollis sighed, “I’m assuming they haven’t found him yet?”

“..No..They haven’t.”

Hollis sat in silence.

“Look..Keith, I’m sorry.” They said, “I know you really care about him, and ratting the kid out to Stern is what caused-”

“Don’t. Don’t apologize.” Keith interrupted, “You were scared. I understand. I..I probably would’ve done the same..” He knelt forward, putting his head in his hands. “Fuck, Hollis..It’s so much worse now. So, so much worse.”

“What do you mean?”

“Mama told me some shit out back. I’m- I’m so fucking worried about Jake.”

“What’d she tell you..?”

He hesitated. Well, no point in keeping secrets now. That’s what got them all into this mess in the first place.

“Jake ain’t human, that’s not a shocker there. But- But apparently he..He can’t be, stable, I guess, without those hot springs outback.” Keith explained, “I don’t know what he’s like...unstable. But there’s apparently a chance he might be in trouble now. He’s been gone for a week, he needs to go there once a day.”

“Is...Is there anything we can do? I mean, if he’s..unstable I doubt he’d let us just walk him back to the hot springs.”

“I dunno. Mama said something about this- weird orange necklace she carries around. But she won’t let me help cause, well, y’know.” He gestured to his broken leg. 

“What’s it look like?”

“What?”

“The necklace.”

“It’s small, and has an orange crystal on the end. Kinda like a pendant.”

They nodded in response.

“Listen, Keith. You should lie down for a bit, alright? You’ve had a rough week.” They stood up. “I’ma go downstairs and see if I can talk that Barclay guy into letting me snag some of his leftovers. You sleep well.”

Without another word they left the room.

Keith stared after them for a moment, sighed, and then laid down. 

It only took a few moments for him to drift off to sleep.

***

There was a knock on his door.

He groggily looked over to his alarm clock. It was three in the morning.

Keith sat up, glancing around the room.

Hollis still wasn’t back.

He got up, hesitating before opening the door.

Behind it stood Hollis, a wide grin on their face.

“Hey.” They said, before holding up their hand. Dangling from their palm was a small necklace, with a bright orange crystal hanging from it. “Check it out.”

Keith stared at it, bewildered, “How- How did you-”

“Mama hangs her duster out in the lobby every night before she clocks out. She forgot to take it out of her pocket.” Hollis said, tossing the necklace to Keith.

Keith caught it no problem, eyes fixated on it for just a moment before looking up to Hollis.

They smirked, “Now. Let’s go get out friend back.”


	13. Cold

A chill ran up Keith’s spine as he and Hollis trekked through the darkened woods. Turns out, three in the morning isn’t the most ideal time to go hunting for your not-at-all-human-probably-feral friend. But it was the only time they could go out before Mama noticed they’d taken Barclay’s pendant. Keith twisted it around in his hand, even through his gloves it radiated a small heat. The crystal glowed a bright orange color. It was the only light he could see for miles ahead of them. It’d begun blizzarding outside once they made it about halfway through the woods. The snow had been nonstop since Jake vanished, and everyone knew why.

He didn’t want to know what a blizzard meant.

Hollis stayed ahead of him, carrying a bat in their hand. They’d grabbed it before they’d set out on their little rescue mission. They said it was just in case something went awry. The both of them were hardly able to walk through the frozen wasteland that was the Monongahela National Forest. Keith could hardly hear their voice in the wind. Every now and again they’d call out Jake’s name, Keith would follow suit, waiting for a response that would seemingly never come.

They’d been walking for about two hours when Hollis stopped and turned to Keith. Their teeth chattered as they spoke, “C-C’mon, d-dude we- we may have t-to t-turn back.” They said.

Keith’s heart sank, “B-But- But what about Jake!?”

“”We can come out a-another t-t-time!”

“W-We won’t be able to! Mama will know we t-took the p-pendant!”

“If we- we don’t g-go back we’ll freeze, Keith!”

“Let me freeze, then! I’m not goin’ back ‘til we find Jake!”

With that, he marched ahead of Hollis. They called out for him in the distance, their voice muffled by the harsh winds. Keith ignored them and kept trekking on. He wanted- no, needed- to find Jake. If he found Jake, this could all get sorted out. No more secrets. No more non-answers. No more misunderstandings.

Soon, Keith found himself arriving in a clearing. A perfectly circular clearing.

The blizzard began to calm, the snowfall steadying to light drizzle.

Keith glanced around the clearing, holding his hand out and catching the flakes in his hand. They quickly melt away.

This was...strange. Even for Jake.

“KEITH!” Hollis called out.

Keith turned around, Hollis was fast approaching. They stopped in front of him, kneeling forward and panting, trying to catch their breath.

“Dude-” They said, “What the fuck.”

“Sorry- Sorry I just-” Keith paused, taking to scanning the clearing around them again, “The snow stopped.”

“Yeah. It..did.” Hollis looked around as well. “We need to get back, before it starts again.”

“No. Hollis, something’s wrong.” Keith said. “Jake controls all this you know that. Something’s not right.”

“Keith, I know you’re worried, I am too, but I’m sure Jake is fine. Don’t the storms slow down when he’s calm?”

“I don’t know- Maybe? I just- I don’t know something feels off.”

Keith turned back to the clearing, slowly walking towards the center of it. He glanced around the area, scanning it for something, any clue that Jake might’ve been here. Some proof that he was okay.

That’s when he saw it.

Something was lying not far from him in the snow. He was shocked he’d even noticed it there, it blended in almost perfectly. He knelt down and pulled it out from under the snow.

A long white scarf, covered in a layer of frost. 

Keith twisted it slowly between his fingers, the fabric of his gloves picking some of the more loose bits of frost. It wasn’t frozen solid, not yet anyway. 

“Keith?” Hollis said.

He didn’t look back to them. Instead, he continued staring at the scarf. It was torn to shreds. What looked like swift claw marks had torn through the fabric in a haste. Hell, he wasn’t even sure it was a scarf. It just looked like torn up fabric.

“ _ Keith. _ ” Hollis hissed, their voice quieter than before. If Keith knew any better he would’ve noticed the tremble in their voice.

Keith looked up, meaning to turn to face Hollis but something across the clearing caught his eye.

..Someone?

At the edge of the trees stood a tall, lanky figure. It looked sickly, maybe gaunt would be a better word. It’s face was sunken in, blue skin covered in patches of black around its eyes and noes. Large yellow eyes with slit pupils pierced through Keith like a thousand icy daggers. Maybe it was human, but..It was too tall, it appeared as if it were dying. Like it’d been frozen over in the storm. It’s matted hair was covered in a thick layer of white frost. It’s long, spindly fingers were a sickly black color.

Keith couldn’t keep his eyes off it.

It didn’t move.

Keith didn’t move.

It just...stood there. Frozen in place, staring directly at Keith. Their eyes locked onto one another’s.

Keith gripped the scarf in his hands tightly. Something in his chest dropped.

The figure stepped forward, eyes still locked onto Keith.

“Keith.” Hollis grabbed Keith’s shoulder, “Keith we need to go.”

He couldn’t move, he was petrified. The creature’s eyes were locked onto his, almost intently. All sounds around him were drowned out.

He couldn’t move.

“KEITH!”

Without warning, multiple large stakes made of solid ice erupted from the ground. One right after the other they approached Keith at a lightening speed. He managed to move out of the way, but slipped on the thick ice beneath him. Keith let out a cry as he hit the ground, one of the stakes just barely scraping his arm. He opened his eyes to see his sleeve torn open, a small stream of blood staining the snow red beneath him. The stake that’d gotten closest to him had a long streak of blood going up it’s side. He felt his stomach churn.

He forced himself to sit up, looking around for his crutches. The snow started up again, if Keith had dropped them they’d be buried by now. Movement out of the corner of his eye causes him to jump. The creature is rushing towards him, sharp teeth bared. He braced himself for something, anything at all. But nothing comes, nothing but a loud shout.

“STAY AWAY FROM HIM!”

There was a loud crack, followed by a hellish, pained hiss from the creature.

Keith looks up.

Hollis is standing in front of him wielding their bat.

Not far from them stood the creature, holding its head, still letting out that horrid hissing noise.

“St- STOP!” Keith shouted, reaching up and grabbing the back of Hollis’s jacket.

“What!? Keith what’re you-”

“IT’S JAKE!”

Hollis didn’t have time to react. 

Jake lunged at them, knocking Hollis to the ground. Jake let out another hissing sound, this time more angry and ferocious. Small ice crystals began to appear on Hollis’s shoulders where Jake had them pinned down.

Keith panicked. 

He grabbed Hollis’s bat the second they dropped it.

And he swung.

He struck Jake on the shoulder, Jake let out another cry of pain before backing away from Hollis. He faced Keith, eyes flaring with anger. There was a trail of what looked to be dark violet blood trailing down Jake’s face from his nose. 

The snow grew heavier.

Hollis was quick on their feet. They grabbed Keith, trying to help him stand up. They shouted at him, words he couldn’t make out. Fear washed over him as he and Jake’s eyes remained locked.

Jake swiftly came towards them, Hollis’ yanked the bat out of Keith’s hands and swung once more. Before the bat could make contact though, more of those icy stakes burst out of the ground. This time skinner, taller, surrounding Jake in a protective shield.

Hollis backed off, jerking Keith to his feet. He leaned on them for support. 

“What the hell is wrong with him?!” Hollis said, out of breath.

“I-I don’t- It must be the hot springs. It’s been over a week I-”

The stakes then retreated back into the ground. Jake stands before them, eyes locked onto them as if he were a predator locked onto his prey.

Keith jumps, grabbing onto Hollis as an explosion of those same stakes bursts out of the ground behind them at the very edge of the clearing. They keep going, breaking through the ground one by one until they’re completely surrounded.

Hollis looked for somewhere, anywhere that they could run and get to safety. But Jake was in front of them, and the wall of ice had already surrounded them from behind. 

There was nowhere they could run.

The snow around them grew heavier still.

Soon another blizzard had begun.

A shiver ran up their spines, Keith still clinging to Hollis for support, and warmth at this point. Hollis held out their bat, pointing it in all directions. Neither of them could see anything around them, the snow akin to a heavy fog.

The crunching of snow under someone’s weight rang out from all sides. They didn’t know where it was coming from.

“We need a plan,” They whisper, “He’s going to fucking kill us if we don’t get that crystal around his neck soon.”

Keith’s grip on them tightened, he looked up to them, “I’ll distract him.” He said.

“What!?”

Keith took the crystal from his pocket, placing it in Hollis’s hand. “I’ll distract him- s-somehow- I dunno how but- I’ll distract him and you get that goddamn thing on him.”

“Keith I’m not gonna let you-”

“I can’t do it, Hollis! My legs fuckin’ broken. Do you really think I’d be able to get that crystal on him?”

Hollis stared at him. Their hand tightened on his wrist, “I-I can’t let you get hurt..”

“Hollis.” He said, staring them dead in the eye, “I’ll be fine.”

They hesitated, biting their bottom lip. They took a deep breath and nodded, “Right...Right. Please just- don’t do anything too stupid.”

Keith couldn’t help but smile “I can’t promise anything.”

With that they departed, Keith limping towards where he’d last seen Jake. Or...Where he thought he did. The blizzard made it hard to see what was around him.

“JAKE!” Keith called out, “QUIT HIDING AND COME OUT! I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME.”

Snow crunching behind him. All around him. Again.

Keith braced himself, “JAKE.” He called out.

Something grabbed the back of his shirt.

Keith’s breathing hitched as he was forcefully lifted off the ground. Another hand grabbed his injured arm, the other letting go of his back. He was now dangling from this creature’s grasp by his cut open, bleeding arm.

The blizzard began clearing up around him. Sort of. Instead it seemed to..surround him. The snow began to swirl around him, each individual flake dancing a furious balette around he and Jake. It was as if they were in the eye of a tornado, but able to see it’s outside walls at it wreaked havoc on the surrounding area. The area around the two of them, though, was so calm. No storm, no wind, nothing. Just the panic Keith felt beginning to rise in his chest as Jake’s eyes locked onto him once more.

Keith struggled as he felt Jake’s grip tighten around his arm. He yelped, clenching his teeth and sucking in air through them. Through squinted eyes he could see Jake’s expressionless face. His eyes were wide, slit pupiled, seemingly glowing. To Keith they appeared...empty. Nothing was behind them, nothing but a terrified beast whose territory had just been trespassed upon.

But Jake had to still be in there.

He had to be.

“Jake..”  Keith groaned, attempting to reach up and grab Jake’s arm.

Jake’s grasp tightened again. Keith felt a sudden sharp, cold pain.

He looked up to see ice spreading down his arm.

“Jake.” He repeated, “J-Jake- I-”

He cried out again, the ice felt like it was piercing his skin now. It’d almost reached his elbow. He squeezed his eyes shut as he cried out.

His veins ran cold. Keith wasn’t sure if it was Jake’s doing, or just his body’s natural reaction to what he was doing to him.

Fuck.

Where was Hollis?

Keith’s breathing was beginning to become shaken, hasty, almost panicked. The ice had reached his elbow by now. Tears formed in his eyes, he opened them once more. He stared into Jake’s eyes, Jake stared back, unblinking. 

“Jake..” Keith muttered.

Drowsiness overtook him.

“Jake..I..” Keith’s voice had become a breathy whisper, he stared at Jake with half-lidded eyes. 

The ice was now to his chest. 

Jake’s eyes squinted, Keith could’ve sworn he heard him growl. Through his blurred vision he thought he could make something out behind Jake’s eyes.

Was it Jake? Probably not. Maybe it never would be again. But he saw something. Something he should’ve expected.

Resentment.

Keith took a shaken breath, “Jake..I..I’m sorry..” He whispered.

Before he knew what was happening, he was on the ground.

He couldn’t even feel the impact, everything felt cold. Everything felt so, so cold. His vision was beginning to darken, his ears were ringing.

Through the haze he could see two figures in the snow in front of him. One he knew was Hollis, he’d recognize that bright yellow jacket anywhere. The other he knew...what it was, but not who it was.

It wasn’t Jake. Jake wouldn’t do something like this.

Even if he resented him, Jake would never do this to Keith.

Then, Hollis was over him, shouting something he couldn’t understand. His eyes fluttered closed. He felt..relaxed.

Through the ringing of his ears, Keith could hear a few new voices. Or he thought he did, he wasn’t sure.

Something warm overtook him. A soft blanket of comfort to shield him from the surrounding cold.

He felt safe. After all of this he felt safe, safe and warm.

The multiple voices that surrounded him faded away ever so slowly.

Soon, it was nothing but the comforting warmth and blackness of senselessness.

It was no longer cold.


	14. Cold Comfort

A loud ringing pierced his ears, the muffled trio of voices just barely managing to make themselves heard. Everything was so cold, so dark. A warm presence wrapped itself around Keith’s hand, or he was fairly sure it had done so. His eyes fluttered open ever so slowly. Even as he opened them everything appeared black. In time the darkness faded, replaced by a moment of blurriness. His eyes adjusted to the dim light in his room as he tried to take in his surroundings. Moonlight shone in through a nearby window, illuminating the room in a cool blue hue. He was lying in bed, wearing an unfamiliar pale blue gown. He examined his arm, the one that didn’t have that warm presence near it. It was wrapped up in bandages, a strange tingling sensation shooting up his arm when he tried to move it. The ringing in his ears began to fade.

“Keith?” A small, scared voice said.

Something tightened around Keith’s other hand.

He groggily turned his head to see who’d just spoken to him.

Beside his bed stood three people. In his hazed state it took him a moment to realize who these people were. One, a tall person with white hair and bright blue eyes. They were holding his hand tightly. Hollis. The other was a woman, shorter than Hollis, curly graying hair, long coat. Mama, no doubt. Lastly there was..

Keith couldn’t help but stare at him. Their eyes locked onto one another’s.

Something was different about him, things you’d really only notice if you’d seen him every day of your life for years. His hair was still black with frosted tips, but Keith swore it was lighter than before. His skin was a tone or two darker, his hair no longer covered his eyes revealed their piercing blue color. Maybe they were brighter than before. He no longer wore a white scarf, but the rest of his outfit was as bright and as neon as ever.

“Jake.” Keith replied.

“Are you okay?” Hollis said, cupping Keith’s face with their free hand.

Keith broke eye contact with Jake, looking to Hollis, “Y-Yeah..Yeah I’m okay.”

Jake said nothing. Despite Keith breaking their eye contact, he kept his gaze locked onto Keith. Visibly shaking.

Hollis let out a stunted laugh, “That was _insane._ When you said you were gonna distract him I- I didn’t think that-” They squeezed Keith’s hand again, “Jesus Christ- Never do some stupid shit like that again. Okay?”

“Can’t promise anything.” Keith said.

Hollis’s muttering was the only thing that could be heard as they gently brushed Keith’s hair out of his face. Their voice softer than Keith had ever heard it. Keith turned his gaze back to Jake, who was no longer facing him. He stood facing Mama, who was whispering something to him. Jake only nodded in response to what she was saying. She placed a hand on his shoulder, gently kissing his forehead before walking towards the door.

Mama turned to face all three of them, “Holler if you need anything, alright?” She said before walking out.

Silence.

Deafening silence.

Hollis and Keith’s eyes fixed upon Jake who had yet to turn and face them. He shuddered, his breath shaking as he exhaled a breath that was held in far too long. At long last, Jake faced his former friends. His former enemies.

“So..” He said, gulping nervously, “I..I think-- think I owe you guys an explanation.”

“Yeah, that’d be great.” Hollis replied, their grip tightening on Keith’s hand.

“First though uh..” Jake finally turned to Keith, “Are- Are you okay?”

“I’ve been worse.” Keith shrugged.

“Have you? I think this tops any ski crashes you’ve been in.” Hollis said.

“I think seeing the Mothman and getting my ass kicked by a buncha Goatmen is a pretty good tie for this, though.”

“ _You saw the Mothman?_ ”

“Listen Holi there’s a lot of things the three of us haven’t told each other.”

“Keith, listen just-” Jake stepped forward, placing his hands on the side of Keith’s bed but refusing to touch him. “A-Are you okay?” Seriously I- I’m so sorry I-”

“Jake.” Keith interrupted, looking Jake dead in the eyes, “I’m okay. I promise you it’s okay.”

Jake bit his bottom lip, he stepped back and nodded, “Yeah, cool, cool alright..” He tugged at his collar once more, “I’m glad you’re alright..”

Another silence.

Jake sighed, “So uh..How about that explanation?”

“It’d be pretty fucking sweet, actually.” Hollis said.

“Y-Yeah um- okay..Uh..” He muttered, twiddling his fingers, tugging at his collar. “There’s a lot. Like..A lot.” He took a deep breath, “Okay. So. I’m not...human? Get that one outta the way, I guess.”

“Yeah we got that part.” Keith chuckled.

“Then what are you?” Hollis asked.

Jake bit his bottom lip, “You can’t tell anyone. You seriously can’t.”

“Jake, if I thought anyone would believe me I would’ve told you off _years_ ago.”

“Good point..Um..” Jake tapped his foot on the ground nervously, “This is gonna sound silly. But..Um.” He tapped his foot on the ground one last time, a small patch of ice spreading from it. The ice covered a small area of the floor, Jake being sure that it got nowhere close to Keith or Hollis. “So..I- I make snow, I guess? I help Winter happen. It could always just- exist _without_ me but I make it stronger. I help Earth do her job, y’know? Go around, frost up some trees, that sorta deal.”

“So..What, you’re, like, Jack Frost or something?”

“Exactly! I’m Jack Frost!” Jake replied a tad too cheerfully.

Keith and Hollis couldn’t help but laugh, “Yeah okay dude, that’s funny.” Keith said.

Jake didn’t say anything, staring at the two of them blankly.

“..Holy shit you’re serious.”

“Yeah well I don’t think lying is an option at this point.” Jake said.

“Wait then how do you look like- _this_ -” Hollis gestured to Jake, “When before you looked like a _literal_ corpse.”

“Oh- Yeah okay that.” Jake laughed lightly, “Uh..Okay so. This-” Jake gestures to himself, “Is a disguise. Mr.Blue-Corpse-Boy is what I actually look like. The only reason I look like this now is because of-” Jake pulled at something on the back of his neck, revealing a small necklace. He grabbed a shark tooth that was attached to it and held it up, “This! It’s a disguise charm. All of us Sylphs have it.”

“There’s more of you?” Hollis said

“ _Sylphs?_ ” Keith whispered.

“Yeah that’s- that’s something else..” Jake muttered, “It’s a long story.”

“Well, I’d say I’ve got enough time to hear it.” Keith chuckled.

Jake looked at him, trying and failing to hide his amusement. This small delightful demeanor quickly disappeared, though, as he took a deep breath, “Well, alright...I’m from a planet called Sylvain.”

He explained everything. Sylvain and her heart, the orange crystal that once provided him life back on his home planet. His voice faltered as he talked about the council, mentioning his own banishment from the planet but failing to elaborate further. The Gate that connects their worlds which, unbeknownst to them, Hollis and Keith had confronted Jake’s true form in front of nights ago. The Amnesty Lodge, a place where Keith had found refuge in for a few short weeks, being home to people who were just like Jake, seeking refuge just he had all those years ago. Keith and Hollis stared, slack jawed as Jake spoke of these events so curiously. The war that almost brought Sylvains end, the shattering of the crystal, the Abominations, the formation of The Pineguard. He spoke of it so casually, these things were a part of his everyday life whilst managing to slip away right under Kepler’s nose. Keith almost couldn’t believe what he was hearing. But really, after everything, does he have a reason to doubt Jake? He’s finally getting his answers, except..

Jake’s voice finally trailed off, his tone returning to his previously nervous mannerism.

Keith tugged on Hollis’s sleeve, they looked down at him and he motioned for them to lean down.

“Can you give us a moment alone?” Keith whispered.

“What? Why?”

“Please. I..I need to talk to him. In private.”

Hollis hesitated, but nodded and backed away, slow to let go of Keith’s hand.

“Listen, guys, I uh- I better go tell the team Keith is awake. I’ll be back later, but-” They shot Keith a glance, “Don’t do anything stupid.”

They left without another word, leaving a silence hovering over Jake and Keith.

It didn’t even take a minute for Jake’s shoulders tensed up again, he kept his gaze away from Keith and fiddled with his fingers. His breathing trembled slightly every now and again. The two of them were alone again, sitting in a silence neither of them knew how to break. Keith had so many things he wanted to say, so many things he wanted to ask. Where could he start? Keith took a deep breath.

“Are you okay?”

Keith’s voice was gentle, nonthreatening. So much so that Jake looked over to him in surprise.

“Um..Y-Yeah..Yeah I’m cool.”

Keith sat up slowly, bringing his knees up to his chest. He leaned onto them, “Doesn’t seem like it..”

Jake didn’t reply, he took a deep breath and curled up in his chair, burying his face in his arms atop his knees.

“Jake I-” Keith paused, swallowing the lump in his throat, “It’s okay. I know you didn’t- It. It wasn’t your fault. Y-You didn’t mean to do this, I get that.”

Jake muttered something, muffled by his thick jacket sleeves.

“What?”

Jake looked up, his voice raising, “It’s not just that!” As soon as he blurted that out he paused. He took a shaken breath and buried his face in his arms once more.

Keith stared at him, “Then what is it?”

Again, no response.

“Jake.” Keith sat up more, “Please. Tell me.”

After a moment, Jake looked over his arms, face still partially hidden by them. He blinked a few times, trying to chase away the tears that were clearly forming in his eyes. He was shaking all over, his hands gripping his own sleeves tighter and tighter.

“Do you hate me?” Jake whispered, still refusing to look towards Keith.

Keith reeled back, ‘What? N-No I- I could never-”

Jake interrupted, “Then what’s been going on? Like-” Jake let out a stunted laugh, “Any time- any time I’m near you you lash out. You’ve belittled me in front of my friends, you’ve insulted me and- what happened? I- I thought that we- that you..”

Another silence.

Keith sighed, looking down at his bedsheets, “Jake I..I know this doesn’t excuse anything, and I’m- I’m not trying to say anything I did was okay, because it..it wasn’t. I guess I was just...I dunno, lost? You just- you ran off one day and you never explained why. I- I get why now, but..” He shook his head, “It was scary for me back then, Jake. I thought- I thought maybe I did something wrong and..I guess it made me angry. Seeing you after that brought all of it back, and I acted out of aggression. I know- I know none of that makes this right, and it never will, but- I-I at least owe you an explanation and...I’m. I’m sorry, Jake.”

Keith stared down, away from Jake as the stillness continued. Something broke it that caused Keith to immediately turn his attention to Jake. The room began to feel colder and colder by the second. His chest tightened as he turned to Jake, who was still gripping his sleeves tightly. He could see the tears streaming down his face. Keith bolted up. He reached out, hesitating before placing his uninjured hand on Jake’s shoulder.”

“Hey- H-Hey it’s okay, please don’t cry I-I’m sorry-”

“Fuck- I-I’m sorry- I’ve always been a- a bit of a crybaby, huh?” Jake laughed, forcing a smile as he turned to Keith.

Keith brushed Jake’s hair out of his face, revealing his beautiful bright blue eyes, “Hey c’mon don’t say that,” He cupped Jake’s face in his hand, wiping his tears away gently with his thumb. His skin was as cold as he remembered, it was almost comforting. “It’s okay. You’re not doing anything wrong.” He said softly.

Jake sniffled, putting his hand against Keith’s, pushing his face against Keith’s palm, “I didn’t..I didn’t want to leave. Th-Things were changing- changing so fast, and- and then Hollis found out that I- I thought they would-” He let out a quiet sob, ”It wasn’t because of you I-”

“Jake-”

“I- I ran away from the Lodge too- I thought- I thought you were going to tell Agent Stern-”

“Jake.” Keith interrupted, “Jake just relax, okay?”

“Keith-”

“Jake.”

Jake let out a shaken breath, closing his eyes and leaning against Keith’s hand. The two of them remained like this in a calm silence, the cold of the room ever so slowly retreating as Jake’s sobs were soon no longer able to be heard. Keith studied Jake’s face, every now and again wiping tears from his old friend’s cheek. Guilt caused his chest to tighten again. He could feel Jake trembling against his hand. All this time, he must’ve been so scared. Who could blame him? The night he ran off his life, and even his old home, was in danger. What would've happened if Hollis had told anyone? If Agent Stern didn’t believe Keith? His stomach churned at the thought.

Jake sniffled, slowly opening his eyes and staring back at Keith. Keith’s heart leaped with Jake’s gentle eyes meeting his own. Jake opened his mouth to say something, but before he could Keith spoke up, “Hey, hey relax alright? You don’t need to explain yourself.”

Jake smiled and sighed, shaking his head, “No, no Keith that’s..That’s not what I was gonna say.”

Keith raised an eyebrow, waiting for Jake to elaborate.

“I missed you..”

He stared at Jake in shock. A smile slowly cracked its way onto his face, and Keith let out a soft, almost remorseful laugh, ”Y’know, I’d hug you right now if I could actually move my other arm.”

Jake laughed, using one hand to wipe away his own tears before throwing his arms around Keith. Keith gasped, the sudden cold of Jake’s body pressing against him. Keith laughed too, hugging Jake back with one arm even tighter. It was so cold, but so..familiar. He’d never missed a cold embrace more than he had in these moments. Keith took a deep breath, taking in the familiar scent of gingerbread and pine trees that Jake always carried with him.

Having Jake back in his arms after so, so many years made tears of overwhelming joy form in Keith’s eyes.

The cold had never been so comforting.


End file.
